The Pope’s visit to Sweden to take part in an ecumenical prayer gathering in the cathedral there, to mark the beginning of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, is certainly a historic event. Given that the Reformation represented a revolt against the power of Rome, the enthusiastic welcome given to the Roman Pontiff marks a significant turning point. Perhaps when the history of our times comes to be written, Lund 2016 will be in every child’s textbook. Let us hope so.
While it cannot be denied that the gulf between Catholicism and Lutheranism is now wider than ever, thanks in part to the ordination of women – the Pope was greeted by a female archbishop – and also in part to the wide divergences that have developed in moral teaching, the real question remains, where do we go from here?
