Photos: Germany marks 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation

Catholic and Lutheran leaders Tuesday asked forgiveness for violence sparked by Martin Luther's Reformation, as worshippers in Germany celebrated 500 years since the event that created the Protestant church.

Updated on: Nov 1, 2017 5:10 PM IST

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The city hall and the memorial of German theologian Martin Luther is illuminated on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Wittenberg on October 31, 2017. Luther is presumed to have published his groundbreaking ‘95 Theses’ of criticism of the Catholic Church, marking the start of the process that led Protestants to break away from the Roman Catholic Church, on this day. (Hendrik Schmidt / dpa / AFP)

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Martin Luther’s theses engraved on the door of the Castle Church is pictured during the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Wittenberg, Germany. The Reformation caused major upheaval in Europe, leading to wars, persecutions and exoduses, including the departure of the pilgrims for what was later to become America. (Hannibal Hanschke / REUTERS)

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People arrive at the Castle Church ahead of mass on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Luther challenged Catholic clerics’ practice of selling ‘indulgences’ as repentance. He said Christians could not buy or earn their way into heaven but only enter by the grace of God, and his challenge had widespread ramifications, including the establishment of the Church of England in Britain in 1534. (Hannibal Hanschke / REUTERS)

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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (R) and Chancellor Angela Merkel (C) stand at the grave of Martin Luther during a celebratory mass in the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 2017. Merkel, herself the daughter of a Protestant pastor, said during a speech at the City Hall that ‘Luther had spurred a movement that nothing can stop.’ Adding, ‘He laid the groundwork for a new understanding of Man and the eventual development of modern democracy. (Hannibal Hanschke / Pool / AFP)

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Visitors attend a service in the All Saints’ Church or Castle Church on October 31, 2017. The Vatican and Lutheran World Federation released a rare joint statement on the anniversary, saying they ‘begged forgiveness for our failures and for the ways in which Christians have wounded the Body of the Lord and offended each other during the five hundred years since the beginning of the Reformation until today.’ (Hendrik Schmidt / dpa via AP)

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A man in traditional medieval garments walks past a statue of Martin Luther (top, R) holding a book including his translation into German of the New Testament of the Bible at the main square in front of the city hall in Wittenberg, on October 31, 2017. (John Macdougall / AFP)

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A woman looks at Martin Luther’s theses door at the Castle Church in Wittenberg. In Germany, ‘Reformation Day’ is already a public holiday in several states, but this year the occasion was marked across the country. The service at the Gothic All Saints’ Church marked the end of year-long celebrations by Protestants in 700 German towns and cities. (Hannibal Hanschke / REUTERS)

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A view of the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach in eastern Germany, which is known as the place where German church reformer Martin Luther translated the New Testament of the Bible into German. (Jens Kalaene / dpa / AFP)

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A medieval anti-Semitic carving depicting Jews suckling the teats of a sow as a rabbi looks intently is pictured at the Stadtkirche, Martin Luther’s home church in Wittenberg. The theologian’s name has also been associated with one of Germany’s darkest periods --his attacks on Judaism in his writings were used as a reference for Nazi ideology. Merkel has said it was essential that Luther’s anti-Semitism never be scrubbed from his theological legacy. (John Macdougall / AFP)

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A lone protester displays a placard reading ‘What does this Church want to be: Gospel Church or ‘Jew-Pig’ Church???’ as he protests against the so-called ‘Judensau’ (Jew-Pig) sculpture in Wittenberg. (John Macdougall / AFP)

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A wood cutter engraves wood in the main square in Wittenberg on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Vatican and Lutheran World Federation in their joint statement committed to ‘overcome remaining differences between us’, adding that it was ‘clear that what we have in common is far more than that which still divides us’. (John Macdougall / AFP)