Lutherans Warn Vatican Not to Ease Conversions; Pope Would Lure Lutherans as He Did Anglicans

Lutheran leaders have warned the Vatican that the creation of a structure to welcome conservative Lutherans into the Catholic Church would harm dialogue and damage ecumenical relations, the Religion News website reports today (January 24, 2013).

In 2009, Pope Benedict created a special church structure -- called an ordinariate -- to allow disgruntled Anglicans (called Episcopalians in the U.S.) to convert to Catholicism while maintaining bits of their traditions and culture.

Ordinariates have been created in the United States, England, and Australia, attracting hundreds of conservative Anglicans who oppose recently-adopted anti-Christian policies -- such as female ministers and gay bishops -- and seek greater lines of authority.

During the past few weeks, senior Vatican officials have publicly suggested the creation of a similar structure for dissatisfied Lutherans, but senior Lutheran officials are adamantly opposed to such an idea. It was Martin Luther -- a German Catholic priest in the early 16th century -- whose caustic criticism of the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences in order to speed up a deceased loved one's entry into heaven, resulted in the birth of the Protestant Church. The Protestant Church -- which was established in 1517 with the Protestant Reformation -- is preparing to celebrate its 500th anniversary in 2017.