On July 8, 2021, Bishop Dr. Felix Gmür, on behalf of the SBK, a mutual recognition of baptism with District Apostle Jürg Zbinden, Church President of the New Apostolic Church Switzerland, together with the six churches that had signed the 2014 Riva San Vitale Declaration on Mutual Baptism. The celebration at which Bishop Gmür gave the sermon took place in the Brother Klaus Church in Bern.
Path of ecumenical opening
This important sign of unity was made possible by the fact that, under the leadership of the Working Group of Christian Churches in Switzerland (AGCK.CH), a dialogue with the New Apostolic Church (NAK) on issues of theology and faith began in 2002 and in the discussion committee set up by Was continued intensively from 2014 to 2019; During these years the NAK has increasingly opened up ecumenically, specified its theology of the sacraments and published a catechism that clarifies its doctrinal foundations. Thus nothing stood in the way of a mutual recognition of baptism. This was confirmed by Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, in a letter to the SBK in November 2020.
An obligation for the churches in Switzerland
With the signing of the European Charter Oecumenica in 2005, the members of AGCK.CH – which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – committed themselves to the mutual recognition of baptism. The three regional churches had already committed themselves to this in 1973. Forty-one years later, on April 21, 2014, six member churches of AGCK.CH signed the Riva San Vitale Declaration. With the New Apostolic Church, a seventh signatory has now been added.
additional Information
https://agck.ch/taufanerkennung/
–
–
