German Catholics and Lutherans Take New Steps Towards Unity

(Vatican Radio) The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation offers Catholics and Lutherans an opportunity to take further steps towards reconciliation and full Christian unity. That was Pope Francis’ message on Monday to an ecumenical delegation from Germany, led by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German bishops conference, and top Protestant Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chairman of the Evangelical Churches in Germany (EKD).

Welcoming the delegation to the Vatican, Pope Francis praised the positive relationship between Catholics and Lutherans in Germany, urging them to be courageous and determined in their continuing journey together. “We share the same baptism”, he said, “we must walk together tirelessly!”

Reflecting on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation , he said it’s an opportunity to put Christ back at the centre of their ecumenical relations. Just as the question of a merciful God was the driving force of Luther and the other Reformers, so it must be at the heart of our joint efforts to propose the radical truth of God’s limitless mercy to men and women today.

Speaking of the tragedy of divisions and conflict, fomented by political interests, the Pope praised the initiative of the German delegation to hold an ecumenical service of penitence and reconciliation entitled “Healing memories – witnessing to Jesus Christ”.

Catholics and Lutherans will also be participating in other joint events this year, he said, including a shared pilgrimage to the Holy Land, a congress to present new translations of the Bible and an ecumenical day dedicated to shared social responsibility.

Thanks to a shared spiritual communion that has been rediscovered over recent decades, the Pope said, Catholics and Lutherans can together deplore the failures of the Reformation on both sides, as well as appreciating the many gifts which we have received from it.

The Pope said, Catholics and Lutherans can together deplore the failures of the Reformation on both sides, as well as appreciating the many gifts which we have received from it.

It would be interesting to see the list of "failures on both sides" that both Catholic and Lutheran churches would agree to.

Catholic Freepers - "what Catholic failures identified by the Reformation, would you cite?"

Lutheran Freepers - "what Lutheran failures associated with the Reformation, would you cite?"

These are serious questions. If you're intent is to be critical of a church other than your own - please don't post.

“what Catholic failures identified by the Reformation, would you cite?”

I didn’t say it did. You should check this out from northern NJ in 2002, though (from the NY Post):

“Walking the grounds of Seton Hall University is a lesson in ethics – one that school administrators hadn’t planned on. Mixed in among the buildings named for saints on the South Orange, N.J., campus are three impressive structures named for sinners – or accused sinners: Robert E. Brennan, Dennis Kozlowski and Frank Walsh Jr.

One is in jail, another is facing trial and the third is being sued – all for questionable financial dealings. Each donated at least $1 million to the Catholic university to have his name adorn a building in foot-high letters. “It’s quite clear it’s tainted money,” said communications professor Robert Allen, insisting the university shouldn’t use the donations as justification for “not doing the right thing.” The right thing, some on campus say, is removing the tarnished names from the buildings.

Brennan, for whom the school’s recreation center is named, was the founder of First Jersey Securities. He’s serving a nine-year sentence for money laundering and hiding $4.5 million from bankruptcy creditors. Kozlowski, whose name is on the business-school lecture hall, has been charged with tax evasion, stock manipulation and looting hundreds of millions from Tyco International, the company he served as CEO. He’s also accused of making millions of dollars in charitable contributions under his own name using Tyco funds – including a $1 million donation sent to Seton Hall. Walsh, for whom the campus library is named, is a former Tyco director who’s being sued by the company. It wants to recover the $20 million it claims he received improperly from Kozlowski for brokering a megabillion acquisition.

The Vatican was totally corrupt and the popes, the Medici and Borgia popes, were depraved and dissolute. (Leo X, whom Luther opposed, was a Medici; Alexander VI, who had Savonarola burned, was a Borgia. His daughter Lucrecia even sat on the papal throne for a time.

Luther became arrogant, ended up calling the papacy the "antichrist," and became a virulent antisemite by the end of his life.

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