By making bold gestures of reconciliation and encouraging Churches to work together for social justice, Pope Francis appears to be taking a fresh course towards healing divisions

Nearly 500 years after Martin Luther sparked one of Christianity’s deepest splits by challenging abuses in the medieval Church, Pope Francis sought to draw a line under a bitter history of division. This week he travelled to Sweden, where he stood side by side with Lutheran leaders at events that commemorated the Reformation. His bold and generous gesture represents a new moment in Catholic-Protestant relations, and validates the Catholic Church’s sometimes hesitant journey towards Christian unity.

In Lund, Francis heaped unprecedented praise on Martin Luther, and gave thanks for the spiritual fruits of the Reformation; he embraced the female leader of the Church of Sweden, Archbishop Antje Jackelén, and told a 10,000-strong crowd in Malmö that Catholics and Lutherans should work more closely together to help refugees and save the planet.