Update: Vatican Radio confirms (Pope Francis to travel to Sweden for joint Reformation commemoration) that the event on October 31 is intended to kick off a whole year of events marking the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
The Pope will lead the "common worship service" along with two Lutheran leaders: Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan and LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge. It will be held in Lund cathedral, a medieval cathedral held by the Lutherans from the 1530's to the present day.
The common worship will be based on the controversial “Common Prayer” liturgical order published earlier this month by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). As we have earlier reported this "order" contains prayers and passages extolling Martin Luther and the Reformation. We can only hope that these truly scandalous prayers will not be included in the actual service to be headed by the Pope.
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There have been rumors and speculations about this for some time, but now the news has been officially confirmed.
The Pope will lead the "common worship service" along with two Lutheran leaders: Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan and LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge. It will be held in Lund cathedral, a medieval cathedral held by the Lutherans from the 1530's to the present day.
The common worship will be based on the controversial “Common Prayer” liturgical order published earlier this month by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). As we have earlier reported this "order" contains prayers and passages extolling Martin Luther and the Reformation. We can only hope that these truly scandalous prayers will not be included in the actual service to be headed by the Pope.
____________________________
There have been rumors and speculations about this for some time, but now the news has been officially confirmed.
The Holy Father Francis in Lund, Sweden, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
His Holiness Francis intends to participate in a joint ceremony of the Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, scheduled to take place in Lund, Sweden on Monday 31 October 2016.
The actual 500th anniversary will be on October 31, 2017, but this year's event apparently will mark the beginning of a year of celebrations and commemorations towards that fateful anniversary.
