What is the official position of the pope on Martin Luther?

The last OFFICIAL position of the Catholic Church concerning Martin Luther was contained in the Papal Bulls: Exsurge Domine Condemning the Errors of Martin Luther Pope Leo X - June 15, 1520 which can be read here: Exsurge Domine - Papal Encyclicals. read more

Martin Luther was a heretic who helped begin the Protestant Reformation and caused the single largest schism among Christians to date. That's the official position of the current Pope and every Pope since the Protestant Reformation. read more

For those who think themselves more Catholic than the Pope, Benedict’s approach to Luther and to ecumenical action in general may displease. But for the rest of us, it was inspiring to see a German pope, addressing a group of German Lutherans and, without compromise to Catholicism, quoting Martin Luther. read more

The papal Brief to Cajetan (August 23), which was handed to Luther at Nuremberg on his way home, in which the pope, contrary to all canonical precedents, demands the most summary action in regard to the uncondemned and unexcommunicated "child of iniquity", asks the aid of the emperor, in the event of Luther's refusal to appear in Rome, to place him under forcible arrest, was no doubt written in Germany, and is an evident forgery (Beard, op. cit., 257-258; Ranke, "Deutsche Gesch.", VI, 97-98). read more