The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-31
LUTHER

~ man professor of theology in
the University of Wittenberg, by the
name of Martin Luther, posted on
the door of the town church, ninety
five theses denouncing practices
and doctrines that had developed i'll
the Catholic religion. 1t was a shot
heard round the world
The Germans felt themselves es-
pecially exploited by the taxes
levied throughout Europe by the
church. 1t was not only that the
pope appointed the incumbents who
filled ecclesiastical Offices in Ger
many, chooses italian favorites, and
exacted fat fees for each appoint
menC.
= Added to this were the taxes
raised to fight the Crusades, in 1853
and again in 1917; German mer-
chants protested that 1T is the
FlorentineS" business that is at
stake, not Christ'S," referring to the
italian, traders and bankers who
we're anxious to reopen the COM
mercial routes of the Near East. In
one case the tax called for a tenth
of the receipts of all ecclesiastical
benefices, in the other it called for
a tenth of all clerical, and a
twentieth of all lay. incomes.
The Diet of Frankfort said that
the Pope was trying to pull the
German sleeps fleece over its ears"
and German prince complained,
1.-The Pope treats us like slaves, and
wishes to take for his own pleasure
all that we and our ancestors have
accumulated by honest labor"
TINE money was paid; but on top
i of it all came a new burden.
Boniface VIII had discovered a gold
mine-the idea of jubilee; Chris
tians would celebrate the hundredth
anniversaries of ChriSt'S birth by
pilgrimages to Rome, and contrib
uted to the collection baskets that
we're everywhere Strategically
placed; to every one who came
pfenary indulgence would be grant
ed; that is, he would be dispensed
from all the suffering that his sins
had laid up for him in Purgatory,
said Carlyle; but it was also a bril-
liant one.
So many people came to Rome for
the first jubilee that many were
crushed to death in the streets; and
at the churches attendants were
kept busy from morn till night lit
orally raking in the contributions of
the faithful.
Clement VT improved on the plan
by decreeing a jubilee every fifty
years rather than every century;
Urban VI, not to be left out,
changed this to a jubilee every
thirty-thre years, to give a chance
to every generation, both outside and
inside the Vatican.
When Leo x came to the chair
he added to the convenience of the
plan by ordaining that those who
could not come to Rome might Sc
cure the same indulgence through
prayer and contributions.
To help the archbishop of Mainz,
who owed considerable back pay to
the Fuggers for collecting the taxes
levied in Germany by the church,
the good natured Leo arranged that
half the proceeds from the new in
diligence in Germany should go to
the archbishop. With the rest, Leo
would finance the building of st.
Peters.
CTRICTLY, the indulgence could
- be granted to anyone who said
the requisite prayers, and was too
poor to make any contribution; but
as each penitent was required to
contribute in proportion to his
means the arrangement was hard
on the prospecting Germans. An
agent of the banking firm of the
Fuggers went about with each priest,
and kept the strong box.
One of the priests, Tetzel, was
especially jealous; all sins we're
blotted out, he assured the people;
"as soon as the money clinks in the
box" whatever the crime one had
committed, there was a price at
which it would be forgiven. even ''if
one had violated the mother of
God"
The finer spirits in The church
would never have tolerated this sale
of Gods mercy like trinkets in q
peddler's bag; and doubtless Leo
himself, with all his imperturbable
suavity, would have been scandalized
could he have heard Tetzel cry his
wares.
But Leo was far off, and Luther
u,ac tnnar. I an did mt haar Luther.