As Pope Francis embarked on a two-day visit to Sweden, to join in
commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, the
president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity said that the
papal trip could be an important step toward the restoration of full
communion between Catholics and Lutherans.Cardinal Kurt Koch said that it is “a very beautiful sign” that Catholics and Lutherans can join in a prayer service on the anniversary of the Reformation. In the past, he said, both groups tended to take a polemical approach to that anniversary, rather than looking for common ground. This week’s events, he said, reflect the progress made in “50 years of intensive theological dialogue.”
“I hope this event will be a good path for the future,” Cardinal Koch said.