(ENI) – A top Italian Protestant has accused Pope Benedict XVI of setting back Christian unity by granting indulgences to Roman Catholics who carry out acts of devotion to the Virgin Mary to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council.
"The Catholic Church is free to decree all the indulgences it likes but stressing the things that divide [churches] crushes the hopes of those who are working for Christian unity," said Professor Paolo Ricca of the Protestant Waldensian theology faculty in Rome.
Catholic theology offers the remission of punishment for sins, but Ricca noted, the granting of indulgences was one of the issues that unleashed the 16th century Protestant Reformation of German monk Martin Luther.
Pope Benedict after his election in April said his "primary task" would be to promote the unity of all Christians.
In August Pope Benedict granted indulgences to participants in the World Youth Days in Cologne in Germany, irking the country's Protestant churches.
The issue of indulgences was a major reason for Martin Luther's bid to reform the Church in the 16th century. Luther criticised the practice in his 95 Theses which were posted in Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517.
