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Perspectief 34 Werk van jonge theologen whoever studies the 2006 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which gathers pontifical statements proclaimed on social issues since 1891. Already on this level, differences between Catholicism and Lutheranism surface. Stjernø observes that “Protestant social teachings have been less explicit than Catholic teachings” 113 . Indeed, the Lutheran churches do not have a social teaching as extensive and comprehensive as that of the Catholic Church. This has to do with the traditional differences between the two churches. The first point of divergence is the hierarchical structure of each church, which is more centralised by nature in Catholicism. The other aspect that weighs here would be the historically different approach to the sources of doctrine. Whereas pre-Vatican II Catholicism firmly maintained the Tridentine principle of tradition and scripture as the twofold sources of faith, Lutheran doctrine insisted on the sola scriptura principle, combined with the conviction that each Christian is capable of interpreting the Bible himself. These two points prevented the Lutheran churches from unitedly addressing societal issues for a long time. However, Lutheranism too has seen a development with respect to its involvement with and perspective on social matters. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), for example, has since 1991 published a dozen social statements on topics ranging from abortion and genetics to education and peace. The very first statement was entitled Church in Society and included a commitment of the ELCA to “foster deliberation on social questions” 114 . None of the published statements, however, may be considered Lutheran doctrine. The ELCA is a member of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), yet the LWF does not issue social doctrinal documents, for the ecclesiological and doctrinal reasons mentioned above. A closer look reveals further discrepancies between the two ecclesial communities. Not only church leaders, but also Catholic and Lutheran theologians have devoted ample attention to the development of a theology of migration. The classic doctrinal differences 113 Stjernø, S. (2009) Solidarity in Europe: The History of an Idea Cambridge UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 75. 114 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1991) The Church in society: a Lutheran perspective , Orlando FL, Churchwide Assembly.