Protestant Martin Luther

Roman Catholic Church

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M.L. vs R.C.C.

Martin Luther and the Reformation

The Catholic Church decided to sell indulgences (pardons) to raise money for their new cathedral. The Catholic Church believe that the church had the authority to forgive people of their sins. The pardons were printed up, signed by the pope, and sold throughout Europe. A man named Tetzel came through Germany with these pardons. The rich were charged more than the poor. You could even buy pardons for your dead relatives to bail them out of purgatory. Luther was upset by these pardons. He knew forgiveness only came from God and couldn't be bought. He tried to tell people that they were

wasting their money but speaking against the Church was very dangerous. However, Luther needed to let his voice be heard. He wrote out 95 different items on which he disagreed with the Church. These were called the 95 theses. This along with the burning of the popes letter made him a heretic by the Church's standards. News of Martin Luther's actions spread all across Europe. He appeared at councils many times and he stood up to the Church on multiple occasions. Many began following his teachings and were known as "Lutherans". The Lutherans protested laws issued by the government as well.