Square in Rome named after Martin Luther
The Vatican has given its backing to naming a central Rome square after Martin Luther.
Luther, a German Catholic priest and theologian before he was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in 1521, denounced the corruption he saw among clergy in Rome. Around the time of his visit to Rome in 1510, Luther reportedly repeated the saying, “If there is a hell, Rome is built over it.”
Luther was not allowed to return to the Catholic Church in his lifetime, but now the Vatican’s views on him have changed.
