On October 31 in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation at an event inside the famous Castle Church in Wittenberg, while German citizens enjoyed a public holiday to honor the occasion.
The celebration, marked in many places around the world, commemorates the day on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther—a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg—nailed his “95 Theses” to the door of the church, marking the beginning of the Reformation. Luther’s theses objected to the abusive practice by Catholic clergy of selling plenary indulgences—certificates believed to reduce temporal punishment for sins committed by the purchasers or by their deceased loved ones. Luther’s action created a groundswell which profoundly changed Europe.
Thousands of people participated in church services throughout Wittenberg, which included not only Lutheran but Catholic clergy. A medieval-style street festival added entertainment for the crowds celebrating a key historical turning point that formed not only Protestantism but reformed Catholicism as well.
Chancellor Merkel spoke to the crowd, stressing the importance of religious tolerance.
“Those who embrace plurality must exercise tolerance,” she said. “That is the historical experience of our continent. Tolerance is the basis for peaceful togetherness in Europe.”
This anniversary was also celebrated in many other places around the world. In Britain’s Westminster Abbey the service was conducted by the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall, Dean of Westminster, who said, “Today we stand together, reconciled in Christ, walking side by side, praying that we may be ever more united in our diversity and that we may draw more and more children of God into the beautiful story of God’s love…”
In Denmark, the Royal Family celebrated the occasion in Copenhagen. The 77-year-old monarch, Queen Margarethe II, led arrivals at the Danish Parliament in Christiansborg Palace, followed by her sons, princes Frederik and Joachim.
The anniversary was a celebration of peace and unity today among the faiths in all of the locales where Reformation Day was honored.
