June 15, 1215: King John signs the Magna Carta, which begins, “The Church of England shall be free.
June 15, 1520: In the papal encyclical “Exsurge Domine,” Leo X condemns Martin Luther on 41 of counts of heresy, branding him an enemy of the Roman Catholic Church. After the encyclical, Luther’s works were burned in Rome (see issue 34: Luther’s Early Years).