In this square where heretics were sentenced to death by fire, the Bible is read out loud to mark the Reformation

JL Andavert of the Bible Society of Spain reads from the Bible in Madrid Bible Society of Spain/Facebook

Two hundred people met in Spain in a public reading of the Bible to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

The reading took place in Plaza Mayor in Madrid, where during the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, heretics and apostates were tried and condemned before being burned to death outside the city walls.

Spain's Bible Society organised the reading with Evangelical Council of Madrid. The city sponsored the event.

Last Sunday, the 200 evangelicals read from a version of the Bible translated by Protestant monks Reina and Valera, exiled by the Inquisition.

Men and women took turns to read the different chapters of St John's Gospel.

There were five public trials in the Plaza Mayor of Madrid from 1621; of 162 people accused, 29 were sentenced to death by fire. Many more were hanged or clubbed to death.

The Spanish Bible Society was formally established in 1836 by Jorge Barrow, but Bible Society missionaries had been working in the country for several decades before that.

This year is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 theses on the door of the castle chapel in the German town of Wittenberg  and is being celebrated with events around the world.

1683 painting by Francisco Rizi depicting the auto-da-fé held in Plaza Mayor, Madrid in 1680 Wiki Commons
News
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster

Bishop Richard Moth has been confirmed as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior post in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. 

The mystery of the Wise Men
The mystery of the Wise Men

The carol assures us that “We three kings of Orient are…” and tells us they were “following yonder star”. Can we be sure there were three of them? Were they kings? Where in the Orient were they from? What was the star they followed? In fact, there is a lot that we just do not know. This is the story …

English Heritage deletes debunked claims about pagan origins of Christmas Day
English Heritage deletes debunked claims about pagan origins of Christmas Day

English Heritage has admitted it got it wrong when it shared false claims that the date of Christmas is derived from a pagan Roman festival in honour of a sun god.

Guinness Book of Records recognises 'the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher'
Guinness Book of Records recognises 'the world’s longest serving Sunday School teacher'

Pam Knowles started helping out her church Sunday school in 1951 at the age of 13.