This week in Christian history: Pope's indulgence sparks Reformation, Roger Williams gets charter

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, March 14, 2021

Nineteenth-century explorer, missionary and abolitionist David Livingstone | Public Domain

Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance.

Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between.

Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings may be previously unknown by most people.

The following pages highlight events that happened this week — March 14 through March 20 — in Church history. They include the birth of missionary David Livingstone, Roger Williams receiving a charter for a colony that eventually became Rhode Island and Pope Leo X authorizing an indulgence that helped ignite the Protestant Reformation.