Faith Through the Ages - Today in Religious History
On February 15, 1517, Martin Luther, a German professor of theology, posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This event is considered the starting point of the Protestant Reformation.
On February 15, 1165, Pope Alexander III excommunicated Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, also known as Frederick Barbarossa, due to their ongoing power struggle over the control of the church and the Holy Roman Empire.
On February 15, 1493, Pope Alexander VI issued the Inter Caetera bull, which granted Spain the rights to colonize the New World, effectively dividing the world between Spain and Portugal.
February 15 is the feast day of St. Claude de la Colombière, a French Jesuit priest and spiritual director to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who promoted the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
On February 15, 1804, St. Claude de la Colombière was martyred during the French Revolution, along with several other Jesuit priests, for refusing to swear allegiance to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.