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additional chamberlains and 141 squires to the 2,000 persons who made up his ménage at the Vatican, and received from them a total of 202,000 ducats. In July 1517, he named 31 new cardinals, chosen "not of such as had the most merit, but of those that offered the most money for the honour and power". Cardinal Porizzetti, for example, paid 40,000 ducats and altogether Leo's appointees on this occasion brought in another half a million ducats for the treasury. Even blasé Italy was shocked, and the story of the pope's financial transactions made Germans share in the anger of Luther's October 1517 revolt. Some cardinals received an income from the Church of 40,000 ducats a year and lived in stately palaces manned by as many as 300 servants and adorned with every art and luxury known to the time. All in all, Leo spent 4,500,000 ducats during his pontificate (US$56,250,000 in 1955 values) and died owing 400,000 more (A History of the Popes, op. cit., vol. 2). A favourite satire that developed around him was called the "Gospel according to Marks and Silver", which said: "In those days, Pope Leo said to the clergy: 'When Jesus the Son of Man shall come to the seat of our Majesty, say first of all, ‘Friend, wherefore art Thou come hither? And if He gives you naught in silver or gold, cast Him forth into outer darkness." (A History of the Popes, Dr Joseph McCabe, ibid., vol. 2, chapter on "The Age of Power") attempt to nullify the most destructive statement ever made by the head of Christianity. It based the essence of its argument on the assumption that what the pope meant by "profitable" was "gainful", and "fable" was intended to mean "tradition". Hence, confused Catholic theologians argued that what the pope really meant was, "How well Christians have gained from this wonderful tradition of Christ". But that isn't what he said. It is from Christianity's own records that Pope Leo's statement became known to the world. In his diaries, Cardinal Bembo, the Pope's secretary for seven years, added that Leo: "...was known to disbelieve Christianity itself. He advanced contrary to the faith and that in condemning the Gospel, therefore he must be a heretic; he was guilty of sodomy with his chamberlains; was addicted to pleasure, luxury, idleness, ambition, unchastity and sensuality; and spent his whole days in the company of musicians and buffoons. His Infallibility's drunkenness was proverbial, he practised incontinency as well as inebriation, and the effects of his crimes shattered the people's constitution." a (A History of the Popes, Dt Joseph Mc abe, ibid, vol. 2, On behalf of the Church, Cardinal Baronius officially defended chapter on "The Age of Power") Pope Leo's declaration, saying it was "an invention of his corroded mind" (Annales Ecclesiastici, op. cit., tome iv), but in applauding It was Pope Leo X who made the the pope's tyrannical conduct most infamous and damaging supported the essence of his testimony statement about Christianity in the on the grounds of the infallibility of history of the Church. His Raising a chalice of wine into the Church of Rome: declaration revealed to the world . . "Of his wicked miscarriages, we, papal knowledge of the Vatican's the alr, Pope Leo toasted: having had before a careful false presentation of Jesus Christ and "How well we know what a deliberation with our brethren and the unashamedly exposed the puerile profitable superstition this Holy Council, and many others, and nature of the Christian religion. At a although he was unworthy to hold the lavish Good Friday banquet in the fable of Christ has been for us place of St Peter on Earth, Pope Leo Vatican in 1514, and in the company " the Great [440-461] originally of "seven intimates" (Annales and our predecessors. determined that the dignity of Peter Ecclesiastici, Caesar Baronius, Folio suffers no diminution even in an Antwerp, 1597, tome 14), Leo made unworthy successor [see Catholic an amazing announcement that the Encyclopedia, i, pp. 289, 294, passim]. Church has since tried hard to invalidate. Raising a chalice of In regard to the keys, as Vicar of Christ he rendered himself to put wine into the air, Pope Leo toasted: "How well we know what a forth this knowledge truly; and all do assent to it, so that none profitable superstition this fable of Christ has been for us and our dissent who does not fall from the Church; the infamy of his predecessors." testimonial and conduct is readily pardoned and forgotten." The pope's pronouncement is recorded in the diaries and records (Annales Ecclesiastici, ibid.) of both Pietro Cardinal Bembo (Letters and Comments on Pope Leo X, 1842 reprint) and Paolo Cardinal Giovio (De Vita Leonis Later, John Bale (1495-1563) seized upon Pope Leo's Decimi..., op. cit.), two associates who were witnesses to it. confession and the subsequent Vatican admission that the pope had Caesar (Cardinal) Baronius (1538-1607) was Vatican librarian spoken the truth about the "fable of Christ" and "put forward this for seven years and wrote a 12-volume history of the Church, knowledge truly" (Annales Ecclesiastici, ibid.). Bale was an known as Annales Ecclesiastici. He was the Church's most Englishman who had earlier joined the Carmelites but abandoned outstanding historian (Catholic Encyclopedia, New Edition, 1976, the order after the Inquisition slaughtered his family (Of the Five ii, p. 105) and his records provide vital inside information for Plagues of the Church [originally titled The Five Wounds of the anybody studying the rich depth of falsification in Christianity. Church], Count Antonio Rosmini [Catholic priest and papal Cardinal Baronius, who turned down two offers to become pope in adviser], 1848, English trans. by Prof. David L. Wilhelm, Russell 1605, added the following comments about Pope Leo's declaration: Square Publishing, London, 1889). He became a playwright and "The Pontiff has been accused of atheism, for he denied God and in 1538 developed lampooning pantomimes to mock the pretended called Christ, in front of cardinals Pietro Bembo, Jovius and godliness of the Catholic Church and "parodied its rites and Iacopo Sadoleto and other intimates, 'a fable’ ... it must be customs on stage" (The Complete Plays of John Bale, ed. Peter corrected". Happé, Boydell & Brewer, Cambridge, 1985). After the public Raising a chalice of wine into the air, Pope Leo toasted: "How well we know what a profitable superstition this fable of Christ has been for us Later, John Bale (1495-1563) seized upon Pope Leo's confession and the subsequent Vatican admission that the pope had spoken the truth about the "fable of Christ" and "put forward this knowledge truly" (Annales Ecclesiastici, ibid.). Bale was an Englishman who had earlier joined the Carmelites but abandoned the order after the Inquisition slaughtered his family (Of the Five Plagues of the Church [originally titled The Five Wounds of the Church], Count Antonio Rosmini [Catholic priest and papal adviser], 1848, English trans. by Prof. David L. Wilhelm, Russell Square Publishing, London, 1889). He became a playwright and in 1538 developed lampooning pantomimes to mock the pretended godliness of the Catholic Church and "parodied its rites and customs on stage" (The Complete Plays of John Bale, ed. Peter Happé, Boydell & Brewer, Cambridge, 1985). After the public disclosure of the hollow nature of Christianity, "people were rejoicing that the papacy and the Church had come to an end" (Of the Five Plagues of the Church, op. cit.), but later Christian historians acrimoniously referred to the popular theatrical In an early edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia (Pecci ed., iii, pp. 312-314, passim), the Church devoted two-and-half pages in an 52 * NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2007 (Letters and Comments on Pope Leo X, ibid.) and our predecessors.” (Annales Ecclesiastici, op. cit., tomes vili and xi) www.nexusmagazine.com