Nexus - 1403 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

Upon his death on 21 February 1513, the populace breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately for them, one of the most disgraceful popes who ever sat in the papal chair then arrived in the Vatican, complete with his entourage of military advisers. He was the fat and amiable Giovanni de’ Medici (1475-1521), a former commander of Pope Julius's papal army. his first declaration was: "God has given me the papacy, now let me enjoy it" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 13th ed., xix, pp. 926-7). That was an indication of what was to come from the man who fully developed the sale of "indulgences" into Christianity and established the framework for yet another military strike (the 18th crusade since 1096). The Church made the following apologetic summary about him: "As an ecclesiastic, his deficiency in professional knowledge, his utter indifference to the restraint of his character, the reputed laxity of his principles, his proneness to dissimulation, his deeply rooted voluptuousness and his fondness for the society of musicians, jesters and buffoons rendered him contemptible, or something worse. By a course of lavish expenditure in the indulgence of his own taste for luxury and magnificence, by the part which he took in the troublous politics of the day ... Leo completely drained the papal treasury." (Annales Ecclesiastici, Caesar Baronius, Antwerp, 1592-97, folio iii) Pope Leo X and his infamous proclamation "As an ecclesiastic, his deficiency in professional knowledge, On 11 March 1513, Giovanni was elected pope and assumed his utter indifference to the restraint of his character, the reputed the name of Leo X. He had not yet been ordained a priest, but laxity of his principles, his proneness to dissimulation, his deeply this defect was remedied on 15 March at a Vatican celebration for | rooted voluptuousness and his fondness for the society of the anniversary of the death of Divine Julius (Julius Caesar) musicians, jesters and buffoons rendered him contemptible, or (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 3rd ed., Edinburgh, 1788-97, vol. ix). something worse. By a course of lavish expenditure in the It is almost enough to say that apologists who make pretence of _ indulgence of his own taste for luxury and magnificence, by the defending Alexander VI and Julius II abandon Leo X to the part which he took in the troublous politics of the day ... Leo critical wolves. He satisfied only those "who looked upon the completely drained the papal treasury." Papal Court as a centre of amusement" (Catholic Encyclopedia, (Annales Ecclesiastici, Caesar Baronius, Antwerp, 1592-97, Pecci ed., 1897, iii, p. 227). The belief that Leo began to indulge folio ili) in unnatural vice after he became pope was so seriously held in Rome that the two leading historians of his time recorded the Leo gathered about him a company of gross men: flatterers, information. purveyors of indecent jokes and stories, and writers of obscene Guicciardini noted that the new pope accepted the pagan comedies which were often performed in the Vatican with enjoyment of life and was cardinals as actors. His chief friend was Cardinal Bimmiena, whose comedies were more obscene than any of ancient Athens or Rome and "exceedingly devoted to the flesh, especially those pleasures which cannot, with decency, be mentioned" (storia d'Ttalia, 1832 ed., lib. xvi, ch. The Church had scarcely who was one of the most immoral v, p. 254). . men of his time. Leo had to eat Paolo Cardinal Giovio (Jovius), a pope more dedicated to temperately for he was morbidly fat, but his banquets were as costly as they were vulgar and the coarsest jesters and loosest courtesans sat with him and the cardinals. Since these things are not disputed, the Church does not deny the evidence of his vices. In public affairs he was the chamberlains, who were members of most notoriously dishonourable Vicar the noblest families of Italy" (De Vita of Christ of the Renaissance period, Leonis Decimi, Pontificus Maximus, Paolo Giovio, 1897 English but it is not possible here to tell the extraordinary story of his ed., lib. iv, pp. 96-99). alliances, wars and cynical treacheries. His nepotism was as Modern churchmen, however, praise Leo as "a person of moral corrupt as that of any pope, and when some of the cardinals life and sincerely religious" (The Oxford Dictionary of the conspired to kill him he had the flesh of their servants ripped off Christian Church, ed. F. L. Cross, 1963, 2nd ed., p. 799; The New with red-hot pincers to extract information (Crises in the History of biographer of Leo X, after speaking expensive pleasures or by whom of the pope's "excessive luxury" and . "regal licence", claimed to have | Money was so anxiously sought "penetrated the secrets of the night", adding: "Nor was he free from the than Leo X. infamy that he seemed to have an improper love of some of his International Dictionary of the Christian Church, ed. J. D. the Papacy, op. cit., ch. v, "The Popes React with Massacre and Douglas, Zondervan, 1974, p. 591), adding that his pious qualities Inquisition"). were responsible for his unanimous election by the cardinals. The Church had scarcely a pope more dedicated to expensive However, historical records reveal a different story: leasures or by whom money was so anxiously sought than Leo X. "When Pope Julius died, Giovanni de’ Medici (to become Leo Pope Julius II had earlier bestowed indulgences on all who X) was very ill of venereal disease at Florence and was carried to contributed towards building the basilica of St Peter in Vatican Rome in a litter. Later, an ulcer broke and the matter which ran City, and Leo X rapidly expanded upon the doctrine. An from it exhaled such a stench that all the cells in the enclave, indulgence was the sale of dispensations to secure mainly the rich which were separated only by thin partitions, were poisoned by it. from the threat of burning or the bogus release from sins such as Upon this, the cardinals consulted with physicians of the enclave, murder, polygamy, sacrilege, perjury and witchcraft (Indulgences: to know what the matter was. They, being bribed earlier [by Their Origin, Nature and Development, Quaracchi, 1897). For a Giovanni de' Medici himself], said de' Medici could not live a sum of money, property or some penitential act, a pardon was month; which sentence occasioned his being chosen pope. Thus conveyed, or a release from the pains of purgatory or guilt or the Giovanni de' Medici, then 38 years of age, was elected pope on forgiveness of sins was granted to any person who bestowed false information and, as joy is the most sovereign of all remedies, wealth upon the Church. The year after his election, he sold the he soon recovered his health, so that the old cardinals soon had archbishopric of Mainz and two bishoprics to a rich, loose-living reason to repent." young noble, Albert of Brandenburg, for a huge sum and permitted (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 3rd ed., op. cit., vol. ix, p. 788) him to recover his investment by the sordid traffic in indulgences which a few years later inflamed Martin Luther. The rich were not A hale and hearty Pope Leo X now filled the pontifical chair and _ the only group he targeted: than Leo X. 50 + NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2007 A hale and hearty Pope Leo X now filled the pontifical chair and www.nexusmagazine.com