German Protestants Denounce Martin Luther's Anti-Semitism

Germany’s main Protestant body distanced itself from the anti-Semitism of its founder, Martin Luther, and pledged to confront the dark side of its roots.

In a unanimous decision Wednesday by its 120 members, the EKD Synod, the decision making body of the Evangelical Church in Germany, renounced the 16th century theologian’s calls to persecute and banish Jews. Luther had wanted Jews disenfranchised and expelled from Germany.