Pope Francis to commemorate 500th anniversary of Protestant Reformation

Pope Francis will attend a joint ceremony between Protestants and Catholic Church to commemorate the 500th Jubilee of the Protestant Reformation. The Pope apologized on behalf of all wrongdoings by Catholics against Christians of other denominations.

In an effort to forge unity among Christians, the Pope is scheduled to travel to Lund, Sweden on Oct. 31, 2016. He hopes to bridge the gap between Catholics and other Christian denominations including Orthodox, Evangelicals, Anglicans, and Lutherans.

Pope Francis said that being bishop of the city of Rome and a pastor of the Roman Catholic Church, he would call for mercy and pardon for the sins of Catholic mistakes inflicted against other Christian denomination.

He also encouraged every Catholic member to forgive the offenses committed to them by other people who belongs to other Christian churches. Moreover, the Pope said that things that had happened can't be erased, but the burden of the past should be removed, and conflicts should not continue between Catholics and Christians.

Vatican Radio reported that the pope will participate in a joint worship service based on a Catholic-Lutheran 'Common Prayer.' The said liturgical guide was published earlier this year by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation, with the groups stating that the celebration will highlight the robust global developments between Catholics and Lutherans and the joint gifts received through dialogue.

President of the PCPCU, Cardinal Koch, said that by focusing on the centrality of the question of God and a Christocentric approach, Catholics and Lutherans will have the possibility of an ecumenical commemoration of the Reformation, not simple in a pragmatic way, but in the profound sense of faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ.

Meanwhile, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr. Martin Junge said, "The LWF is approaching the Reformation anniversary in a spirit of ecumenical accountability."

"I'm carried by the profound conviction that by working towards reconciliation between Lutherans and Catholics, we are working towards justice, peace and reconciliation in a world torn apart by conflict and violence," he stated.

LWF and PCPCU are two major Protestant denominations established by Martin Luther, which maintain that the Bible is the only source of faith and that salvation is through faith in Jesus alone. However, Pope Leo X issued a document, Exsurge Domine in 1520. The paper condemned Martin Luther's view of the church and ordered him to cease from all preaching.

PCPCU and LWF said that 2017 would also mark 50 years of the international dialogue between the Lutheran and Catholic Churches. The two Protestant denominations believe that there are notable developments happening, most importantly is the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Salvation.