500th Anniversary of a Faith Divided

On this day, 31 October 1517, Martin Luther, a monk and scholar, nailed a document to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany.https://youtu.be/ijjbtcAEOnY

This document condemned the corruption and excess of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of selling indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. During this time, Dominican Priest Johann Tetzel was commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X to travel throughout Germany, raising monies to pay for the renovation of Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, some townspeople purchased them elsewhere. When these parishioners returned to Wittenberg, they showed the pardons to Martin Luther, claiming they no longer needed to repent for their sins.