Includes bibliographical references and index.

Foreword / Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy -- Foreword / Reverend Dr. Ishmael Noko -- Introduction -- Conciliar foundations of dialogue : events before and during the Second Vatican Council, 1961-65 -- Initial contacts between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation through observers at Vatican II -- Pope John XXIII and the decision to invite observers, 1961 -- The popes, the SPCU, and the observers -- The official Lutheran observers -- John XXIII and the observers at the first session, 1962 -- Cardinal Bea, the SPCU, and the observers -- Paul VI and the observers at the second session, 1963 -- The third (1964) and fourth (1965) sessions : new attitudes and relationships begin to emerge -- Turning toward Lutheran-Catholic dialogue -- Impact of the observers on Conciliar Documents -- Impact of the Second Vatican Council on the LWF -- The Strasbourg Institute -- A Lutheran evaluation of the Council : "a new dialogue has begun" -- The Lutheran-Catholic "joint working group" and the beginnings of official dialogue -- Both sides give formal approval to dialogue -- The sixteenth-century anathemas -- From centuries of isolation to dialogue and mutual respect : the immediate post-conciliar period, during the Pontificate of Pope Paul VI, 1966-1978 -- Creating partnership between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation -- Exchanges of correspondence, observers, visits, invitations -- New understanding and new relationships continue to develop -- Acknowledging the growing convergence on justification -- Cardinal Willebrands at Evian, 1970 -- The Malta report's challenge on justification, 1972 -- Preparing the Catholic Church for reception, 1973 -- Initial evaluation of the Malta report, 1974 -- Justification and indulgences : the Holy Year 1975 -- Justification at Dar-es-Salaam, 1977 -- The continuing impact of the observers -- From dialogue and mutual respect to acknowledging common bonds of faith and friendship : developments during the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II : the first decade, 1978-1987 -- Deepening and confirming the "far-reaching consensus" on justification -- Introduction : the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II -- The Malta report's statement on justification in the second phase of international dialogue-- The Malta report and national Lutheran-Catholic dialogues -- The third phase of international Lutheran-Catholic dialogue -- John Jaul II and the Lutheran heritage -- 450th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, 1980 -- 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's birth, 1983 -- John Paul II and the Lutheran family : fostering bonds of friendship and reconciliation -- Deepening relationships with the Lutheran World Federation -- Contacts with German Lutherans -- Contacts with American Lutherans -- Contacts with Nordic Lutherans -- Contacts with Lutherans in other countries -- Reflections on the question of official reception during this decade -- From acknowledging common bonds of faith and friendship to mutual commitment : developments during the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II, 1988-1999, leading to the joint declaration -- Towards official reception of dialogue results, 1988-1993 -- The decade of the joint declaration -- A turning point : the LWF delegation in Rome, March 3-5, 1988 -- Authorities request official evaluation of Lutheran-Catholic reports, 1989-90 -- Strategies for reception, 1991 -- Perceptions of each other's capability for reception, 1992 -- Focus on justification, 1990-1993 -- Towards a joint declaration on the doctrine of justification, 1993-1998 -- The decision to seek a joint declaration -- An ECLA initiative with Catholic support 1993 -- LWF/PCPCU 1993 decision to seek a declaration in 1997 -- Drafting a joint declaration on justification, 1994-97 -- Some key features of the joint declaration on the doctrine of justification -- Pope John Paul II's support during the drafting process : 1995-1997 -- Official responses to the joint declaration, 1998 -- An intense debate in Germany -- The LWF response, June 16, 1998 -- Response of the Catholic Church, June 25, 1998 -- Pope John Paul II's statement after the Catholic response, June 28, 1998 -- Determining a common understanding of the responses, 1998-1999 -- The concerns of Lutherans and others, 1998 -- Reassurances by Catholic leaders, June 1998-January 1999 -- The need for additional clarifications : steps taken in October-November 1998 -- The "official common statement" and "annex," May 1999 -- Joint announcement, June 11, 1999, of date and place of signing -- The signing of the joint declaration on the doctrine of justification, Augsburg, Germany, October 31, 1999 -- Three days of celebration, October 29-31 -- Press conference, October 29 -- The historic achievement for Lutherans and Catholics -- Celebration at Augsburg City Hall, October 30 -- The JD's wider ecumenical meaning -- Some perspectives on theology and dialogue -- Ecumenical vespers, basilica of Sts. Ulrich and Alfa, October 30 -- Signing ceremony, the Cathedral and St. Anna's Church, October 31, 1999 -- The "statio" in the cathedral -- St. Anna's Church -- The Pope's statement in Rome at the moment of the signing, October 31-- Summary and Reflections -- The Second Vatican Council : context for the emergence of Lutheran-Catholic fellowship -- The emerging Lutheran-Catholic fellowship : context for the joint declaration -- Authorities of the Holy See and the joint declaration -- Dialogue and reception -- Dialogue : from the Malta report (1972) to the joint declaration (1999) -- The continuing attention to reception and the continuing problem of reception -- An achievement for the ecumenical movement -- Afterword: the holy see and the repception of the joint declaration, 2000-2006.