This week in Christian history: England tolerates Protestants, Edict of Worms, Archbishop of Canterbury

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, May 24, 2020

Emperor Charles V declares Martin Luther an outlaw – May 25, 1521

Padraic Delany as Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms in 1517. Scene from the 2017 PBS docudrama 'Martin Luther: The Idea That Changed The World.' — Padraic Delany as Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms in 1517. Scene from the 2017 PBS docudrama "Martin Luther: The Idea That Changed The World." | Courtesy of Jake Thomas

This week marks the anniversary of when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V issued a decree declaring Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther an outlaw and a heretic.

Known as the Edict of Worms, it came in response to the Diet of Worms, in which Luther refused to recant his views on the Bible, especially justification by faith alone.

“To put an end to the numberless and endless errors of the said Martin, let us say that it seems that this man, Martin, is not a man but a demon in the appearance of a man, clothed in religious habit to be better able to deceive mankind,” declared the edict, in part.

“We have declared and hereby forever declare by this edict that the said Martin Luther is to be considered an estranged member, rotten and cut off from the body of our Holy Mother Church. He is an obstinate, schismatic heretic, and we want him to be considered as such by all of you.”

In response, Luther was put in protective custody by Prince Frederick the Wise of Saxony, where he would translate the Bible into German, the common language of the region.