What are two differences Martin Luther and the Catholic Church had?

The differences that developed between Martin Luther and the Roman Catholic Church can be traced to several sources that were not necessarily related. On a theological level, one of the principle differences between them was Luther’s conviction that salvation for humanity could come through faith alone, and that no amount of good works could contribute to salvation. He therefore opposed the Catholic emphasis on works as an avenue to salvation, most famously the buying of indulgences as a way to atone for sins. Along with indulgences, however, Luther also condemned other similar practices (e.g. penance) as being unnecessary and theologically misleading.

Another major difference between Luther and the Catholic Church related to language. Since its establishment as the state religion of the Roman Empire, Western Christianity used Latin for both its liturgy and for the Bible, even when local populations had different languages. The Church’s insistence on the use of Latin had the effect of creating a barrier between the clergy and their parishioners (who could not usually understand Latin in its spoken or written form), as well as creating a monopoly on the interpretation of the Bible. Luther’s call for a German-language Bible was seen as a threat to the Church, since it would allow lay people access to the Bible in their own language and break the Church’s monopoly on theological interpretation. If laypersons could read and interpret the Bible on their own, Catholic leaders feared (rightfully so) that the authority of the Church would progressively weaken over time and Christian doctrine would begin to splinter.