«Quale Europa cristiana e quale Lutero?» A proposito di un recente volume di F. Buzzi

Abstract

The article aims to draw attention to the book Quale Europa cristiana? La continuità di una presenza (Which Christian Europe? The Continuity of a Presence) by Franco Buzzi, a Milanese theologian and renowned scholar of the Lutheran Reformation. It particularly focuses on Buzzi’s intention to explore the relationship between Western Europe and Christianity, not only regarding the developments stemming from the birth and spread of Luther’s Reformation but also concerning the critique of Luther’s thought and reformist work, which continues to characterise certain strands of Catholic historiography and theology. At the core of this critique lies a twofold conviction: that Luther is the instigator of the division of Christianity and Europe, and that he is the primary cause of the decline of European Christendom. The article explains why Buzzi considers these convictions to be entirely unfounded and unjust. Moreover, it demonstrates that his interpretative stance offers important insights, enabling further progress in exploring the theme of ‘Europe and Christianity’ and examining the interconnection between the unity of Europe and the unity of Christianity.