Colloquy of Worms

When Worms Colloquy of 1557 attempted Protestant and Catholic theologians failed to achieve a consensus on key issues of theological doctrine.

After the division of the empire had been enshrined in a Catholic and an evangelical part in the Peace of Augsburg of 1555, followed King Ferdinand I still aim to find a consensus between Catholic and Protestant theologians. At the Diet of Regensburg from 1556/7 he again took the initiative for a new colloquy that took place in Worms in the fall of 1557. Head of the conversation was the Catholic Bishop of Naumburg ( Saale) Julius von Pflug. The present Protestant theologians Philipp Melanchthon, Johannes Brenz, Erhard Schnepf and Matthias Flacius. Catholic hand, Johannes Gropper, Michael Helding, Peter Canisius and the imperial court chaplain and consultant, Matthias von Sittard were present. The intra- Protestant differences between Gnesiolutheranern and Philippists prevented a common occurrence of the Protestant, so that Catholic theologians, the Confessio Augustana could provide as clear doctrinal basis in the discussion of original sin and justification into question.

After the failure of the Worms religion conversation it came only in the 17th century back to religious discussions between Protestants and Catholics.