“We as Catholics are aware of the serious damage Luther caused to the Church, what should be our position if our ecclesiastical authorities invite us to consider Luther as a witness to the Gospel?”
Catholics were barely Catholics (in Rome) in Luther’s time. The leadership were largely degenerates, corruptocrats, and unworthy of the gospel they claimed as their birthright.
The Catholic Church created Luther. The damage attributed to Luther was created by the Catholic church.
Luther had a point, he made it, and Catholics eventually addressed them.
Blaming Luther is like blaming the rain for a leaky roof.
If such a distasteful character as many think Luther was, how is it that such a man could be so right about the Catholic Church, and the leadership claiming to lead the church be so wrong?
True today too.
There are "catholic countries" where more than 80% of "catholics" never attend any kind of service in the course of a year.