Reformation Day: 4 facts to know about the other Oct. 31 holiday
4. Martin Luther Square
In his own lifetime, Luther's relationship with the Catholic Church was not exactly amiable. In 1521, the Church excommunicated the German monk for his writings.
However, centuries later, the Catholic Church seems to have mellowed on its sentiments, as a recent project to name a square in Rome after the Protestant Reformer received the blessing of none other than Vatican City itself.
According to an August 2015 piece in the National Catholic Reporter, a hilltop square near the Colosseum was named the Piazza Martin Lutero.
"The move has been six years in the making, following a request made by the Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant denomination," NCR reported at the time.
"The original plan was to inaugurate the square in time for the 500th anniversary of Luther's historic trip to Rome in 2010."
Far from opposing the move, NCR quoted a statement from then-Vatican spokesman the Rev. Ciro Benedettini expressing support for the naming of the square.
"It's a decision taken by Rome city hall which is favorable to Catholics in that it's in line with the path of dialogue started with the ecumenical council," Benedettini said at the time.
