Colloquy of Ratisbon (Regensburg)

See also Colloquy of Regensburg


1541. This marked the high point of Charles V's efforts to reconcile the Roman Catholics and Lutherans; it came after the colloquies of Hagenau* and Worms.* Here Melanchthon,* Bucer,* and Pistorius were the spokesmen for the Protestants; for the Roman Catholics, Pflug,* Eck,* and Gropper.* Gropper and Bucer were largely responsible for the Regensburger Buch, which contained twenty-three doctrinal articles. Not much difficulty was experienced in agreeing on the first four articles: Man before the Fall; Free Will; the Cause of Sin; Original Sin. The fifth article, concerning Justification, did not state either Luther's doctrine or the later Tridentine position clearly. Gaspar Cardinal Contarini* endorsed it. In Rome and Wittenberg (by Martin Luther) it was rejected. There was no agreement at Ratisbon on the formulation of the article concerning the church. Melanchthon upheld the Lutheran view of the Lord's Supper. No agreement was reached on other doctrines. The Colloquy of Worms did not succeed in healing the breach between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.