History and Traditions

1518 Martin Luther put his message straight before Cardinal Tommaso de Vio Cajetan, the special envoy of the pope: «It must be allowed to talk about things that are doubtful and represented by various opinions, and even to protest against the prevailing opinion.»

1530 The Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana), was publicly presented before the emperor and the members of the Holy Roman Empire at the diet in Augsburg. Today it is the basic document of faith for 59 protestant churches around the world and their about 60 million members. Philipp Melanchthon wrote this document with Martin Luther and presented it to the public. Its main issue is the relieving power of the faith in Jesus Christ, which stands against the life-destroying constraints of a system based only on personal efforts.

1555 While the catholic church held a «counter-council» at Trento, Italy, against the reformation and while the protestant powers in Germany had to surrender to the troops of Emperor Charles V, the diet met in Augsburg to sign the first so-called «religious peace», the Peace of Augsburg. It was the first attempt to resolve the relations between the two confessions, catholic and protestant, in the Holy Roman Empire with almost equal rights for both parties.

1629During the Thirty Years' War, the protestant churches of Augsburg were first closed and then pulled down. When the swedish army under King Gustav II Adolf captured the city (1632), the catholic citizens became the suppressed. After the Swedes were driven off again, the protestants became outlawed again (1634-48). It was not until the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 that both confessions gained parity, which meant the same rights in every aspect of life.

1650The Protestants of Augsburg wanted to remind themselves of their dreadful past and their relief. On August 8, 1650, they celebrated the «Augsburg Peace Day» for the first time. This day should commemorate the beginning of local hostilities (August 8, 1629) and the peace of 1648. Since 1950, this day is an official holiday of the city of Augsburg. Today, the Augsburgians celebrate it with an ecumenical spirit.

1732-34 The city of Augsburg became a safe haven for the protestant refugees from the Archbishopric of Salzburg, which were exiled because of their confession. Pastor Samuel Urlsperger of St. Anne's Church gave them first relief, until they could move ahead to new homesteads in East Prussia and Georgia, USA. In commemoration of this act of charity, the Augsburg-Swabian Diocese of the Bavarian Lutheran Church in 1995 began a partnership with the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

1971 Again Augsburg was the place for getting together. Motivated by the Second Vatican Council of the catholic church with its quest for renewal, catholics and protestants came together in Augsburg for a great pentecostal meeting. 20.000 Visitors prayed and celebrated together for the community of christians in different confessions.

1999 Taking Pope John Paul II's first visit to Germany with its ecumenical encounters as a start, a Joint Commission of catholic and protestant theologians discussed the doctrinal verdicts of the 16th century, Catholics and protestants had rejected the teachings of the other side by these means.
One result of their work was the «Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Salvation», which was solemnly signed October 31, 1999 at St. Anne«s Church in Augsburg. This declaration brought a common understanding of the core of Martin Luthers' teachings. The Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation now declare: «Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.» (Joint Declaration, ¤ 15)