Pope Francis is beginning a year of events to herald growing cooperation between Protestants and CatholicsA simple act,it was the work of a few moments, but it triggered an epic era of political and devout convulsions that changed the shape of Europe. On 31 October 1517, and a monk named Martin Luther walked to a church in the German town of Wittenberg and nailed a document – his 95 theses – to its wooden doors,lighting the fuse of the Reformation.
On Monday an ecumenical service led by Pope Francis at Lund cathedral in southern Sweden will herald a year of events running up to the 500th anniversary of the move that resulted in the greatest schism in western Christianity and a string of devout wars – and which has sectarian echoes nowadays on the football terraces of northern Europe.
Its the culmination of a great deal of work on the part of the Lutherans and the papacy over the past 20 years Related: Vatican's Argentina archives alert to be shown to victims of dictatorship crimes Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com