This is the 489th anniversary of the papal bull "Decet Romanum Pontificem", issued by Pope Leo X, which excommunicated Martin Luther. Luther was serving as a professor of biblical interpretation at the University of Wittenberg when he fashioned his "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences", commonly known as the 95 theses. This document; which challenged the church's stance on the nature of penance, the authority of the pope, and the usefulness of indulgences; was followed by further controversial and novel theological papers. All of these works instilled reform throughout Europe that was largely responsible for the Protestant Reformation. See
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