Sweden

Subcribers me to update fastest news sites, news service, new update, news articles, us news, supreme court nominee, today news, news today, news reports, breaking news, world news, current news, international news, headlines: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT8iW7G_Zy2QZKwxfiORifg .... The Pope marked the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation by praying with Lutherans in Sweden.In the first papal visit to Sweden in more than 25 years, Francis encouraged Catholics and Lutherans to forge greater unity, including sharing in the Eucharist - an issue he has put at the heart of his papacy.Francis, who is seen as breathing freshness into traditional Catholic doctrine, and the leaders of the Lutheran World Federation presided over an ecumenical prayer service in the Lund cathedral.This is the first time a pope has commemorated the anniversary of Martin Luther's revolt with such a symbolically powerful gesture.The Protestant Reformation started in 1517 after Luther nailed 95 theses on the church door in the town of Wittenberg, denouncing what he saw as the abuses of the Catholic Church, especially the sale of indulgences [a way of buying one's way to heaven].Pope Leo X excommunicated him, but the church couldn't stop his teachings from spreading throughout northern Europe or the world.As Protestantism spread, religious wars erupted, including the Thirty Years War in 1618-48, one of Europe's bloodiest conflicts.In Sweden, Catholics who rejected the new Lutheran faith were punished with deportation or death.During the service, Francis quoted Luther and praised him for having restored the centrality of Scripture to the church.He said: 'The spiritual experience of Martin Luther challenges us to remember that apart from God, we can do nothing.'He added: 'There was corruption in the church, worldliness, attachment to money and power.'At the end of the service Francis and Bishop Munib Younan, Lutheran federation president, signed a joint declaration pledging to improve relations, while working together to heal conflicts, welcome refugees and care for the planet.Theological dialogue between Roman Catholics and Lutherans began 50 years ago but they are still officially not allowed to take communion at each other's services.Conservative Catholics believe their Church has conceded too much to Lutherans and should not be taking part in any event that praises Luther.MARTIN LUTHER AND THE SPLIT IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH   Martin Luther, a German, started the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he wrote 95 theses criticising the Catholic Church for corruption in Rome, including the buying of ecclesiastical privileges, nepotism, usury and the selling of indulgences, and nailed them on the church door in the town of Wittenberg. Pope Leo X excommunicated him, but the church could not stop Luther's teachings from spreading throughout northern Europe or the world. The Reformation led to a violent, often political schism throughout Europe and Christianity, prompting among other things the 30 Years' War, the destruction of English monasteries, and the burning of numerous 'heretics' on both sides.  Catholics persecuted Protestants and vice-versa for hundreds of years. St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit order in 1537, 20 years after Luther's protest, in part as a response to the heresies being promoted. In the past Pope Francis, himself a Jesuit, spoke harshly of the Protestant reformers. But recently he has had only words of praise for Luther.  He recently called the German theologian a reformer of his time who rightly criticized a church that was 'no model to imitate.' 'There was corruption in the church, worldliness, attachment to money and power,' Francis said this summer.However the Vatican insisted the event was no celebration of Luther's revolt, rather a chance to rejoice that relations had improved in the last five decades.In alternating prayers in the Lund cathedral, the Catholic and Lutheran leaders lamented the divisions and guilt of the schism and asked forgiveness for the deaths and pain their divisions caused over history.Francis said: 'We have the opportunity to mend a critical moment of our history by moving beyond the controversies and disagreements that have often prevented us from understanding one another.'We too must look with love and honesty at our past, recognizing error and seeking forgiveness, for God alone is our judge.'After the Lund event, the Vatican and Lutheran delegations rode together on a bus to att

• published: 01 Nov 2017
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