Half a millennium ago, a huge religious rift occurred, leading to the Protestant Reformation.

Now, a new study from the Pew Research Center on Religion and Public Life indicates the dramatic differences between Protestants and Catholics have narrowed. But that moderation has been clearer in Europe than it has in the U.S.

To explain the current depths of disagreement, we talked with Patrick Hornbeck, associate professor and chair of Fordham University’s Theology Department.