[jude24]

Ironically, part of what Luther did was to rediscover authentic Catholic tradition that had become obscured, not in the official teaching of the Church, but in the popular piety of the Catholics of his day. Unfortunately, he didn't stop there. If he had, we might today call him St. Martin of Wittenberg, Priest and Doctor.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda. We could play those games too.

If Pope Leo X and Cardinal Cajetan hadn't excommunicated Luther, but recognized his 95 theses raised some valid objections, there wouldn't have been a Lutheran schism.

It's water under the bridge. What matters today is what you recongized - that Luther rediscovered what had been obscured, as you rightly observed, by the popular piety of the Catholic church.

[jcb8199]

Interestingly, Leo only demanded that Luther retract 41 of the 95...

[Campion]

What matters today is what you recongized - that Luther rediscovered what had been obscured, as you rightly observed, by the popular piety of the Catholic church.

It was the popular piety of Luther's time I was speaking of, not that of today. Also, the philosophy of the day was decrepit, and that infected the theology.

You're right that both sides did a poor job of communicating, though. Leo X was not an evil Pope, but not a very competent one, either.