Almost five centuries ago, on October 31, 1517, a German monk called Martin Luther reputedly nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg.
The initial cause of Luther’s protest was corruption in the Church, especially the misuse of indulgences, but the controversy soon escalated into criticism and opposition to whole swathes of Catholic doctrine, including the sacraments, purgatory, transubstantiation and devotion to the Virgin Mary.
