Pope Francis has taken part in
events to commemorate the
anniversary of the Protestant
Reformation during his trip to
Sweden.
The Pope appealed to Catholics
and Lutherans to “mend”
history and look with honesty
at the past, “recognising error
and seeking forgiveness”.
By tradition, on 31 October
1517 the German theologian
Martin Luther nailed his 95
theses to the door of a church.
The papal visit kicks off a year
of events to mark the
quincentenary.
Pope Francis and Lutheran
leaders presided over a
ecumenical prayer service in
Lund cathedral in southern
Sweden on Monday.
The leader of the Roman
Catholic Church praised the
Reformation for helping to give
greater centrality to scripture in
the church’s life.
Luther’s pamphlet attacked
excesses and abuses within the
church, and his actions and
writings were hugely significant
in the schism which developed
in Western Christianity, which
became known as the
Reformation.
Luther was subsequently
excommunicated, but his
teachings spread throughout
northern Europe.
Decades of religious wars in
Europe followed.
The Church of Sweden is part of
the Lutheran branch of
Protestantism, though the
country is largely secular.
In a joint statement, the Roman
Catholic Church and the
Lutheran World Federation said
that both partners “are no
longer strangers” and that their
joint goal was to bring
members of the two churches
together at the Eucharistic table.
Pope Francis has previously
praised Luther for his fight
against corruption and greed in
the church of the time.
He has also criticised his own
church, calling on it to shun
greed, reports the BBC.
