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To: TonyRo76
"The fact that Lorenzo survived changed Italian history. His son became Pope Leo X..." ... The theological bully Martin Luther stood up to.

I remembered this passage from a wonderful book "Here I Stand - A Life of Martin Luther", by Roland Bainton and Googled this link for a relevant passage that stuck in my mind:

The pontiff at the moment was Leo X, of the house of Medici, as elegant and as indolent as a Persian cat. His chief pre-eminence lay in his ability to squander the resources of the Holy See on carnivals, war, gambling and the chase. The duties of his holy office were seldom suffered to interfere with sport. He wore long hunting boots which impeded the kissing of his toe. The resources of three papacies were dissipated by his profligacy: the goods of his predecessors, himself, and his successor. The Catholic historian Ludwig von Pastor declared that the ascent of this man in an hour of crisis to the chair of St. Peter, was one of the most severe trials to which God ever subjected (the) Church.

You cannot help but love such a brutal assessment. :) The book has been out for many years and has had several recent reprintings. Here's a link to a review. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in Luther.

20 posted on 03/07/2004 8:31:40 PM PST by solitas (sometimes I lay awake at night looking up at the stars, wondering where the hell did the ceiling go?)
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