From Condemnation and Rejection to Appreciation and Acceptance
| Main Author: | Fernando, Leonard |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article eJournal |
| Terbitan: |
, 2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
https://zenodo.org/record/4165085 |
Daftar Isi:
- His deep religious experience led Martin Luther to speak against the abuses in the medieval church, especially the selling of indulgences. But the officials of the Catholic Church who had earlier rejected other reformers condemned him also. His excommunication and the support of princes and people led to the growth of Reformation and division in the Western Church. The Catholic Church condemned Lutherans and rejected the changes they brought about. The enmity continued also in the mission lands where Lutherans and Catholics worked. But in the twentieth century began the process of understanding and appreciation. Vatican II document Unitatis Redintegratio initiated the first official Catholic-Lutheran talks, which eventually in 1998 produced the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. And in India ecumenical ventures to respond to the problems which beset Christians in particular and Indians in general brought the Lutherans and Catholics to work together. Now on the eve of the commemoration of the 500-year Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the celebrations and conferences together are paving way towards reconciliation and communion. This article highlights the change in the relationship between Catholics and Lutherans. We are now at a point of time when the wounds of history have been healed to a large extent and we are able to look at persons, events and belief system in a more balanced way.