[HarleyD]

That's flat out wrong. Consider looking at the Council of Trent for official teachings on indulgences. Even before the Council, the Popes began to curb abuses of the legitimate practice of indulgences

Oh, please. This is nothing more than revisionist history touted by the Roman Church to excuse the egregious error. Luther 95 Theses was all about indulgences and the abuse goes back to Wycliff in the early 1400s.

In the fourteenth century we find the partial substitution of money gifts for works of mercy and charity, a fact which already laid the train for the Reformation: even notable Roman Catholics such as Juan de Valdez, the brother of the secretary of the Emperor Charles V, admitted the corruption of such practices:
"I see that we can scarcely get anything from Christ's ministers but for money, at bishopping money, at marriage money, for confession money - no, not extreme unction without money! They will ring no bells without money, no burial in the church without money; so that it seemeth that Paradise is shut up without money. The rich is buried in the church, the poor in the churchyard. [...] The rich man may readily get large indulgences, but the poor none, because he wanteth money to pay for them."

European Institute for Protestant Studies

If the Church was trying to reign in indulgences, Pope Leo certainly wouldn't have sent Johann Tetzel around to collect money for the building of the Vatican. I'm sure Pope Leo, known for his lavish spending habits, was wringing his hands over how to stop the "abuse". Did the Vatican ever return the money Tetzel stole for his practices?

The Catholic Church owes Luther an apology. The Orthodox, much to their credit, had nothing to do with this. A simple, "Luther, we're truly sorry; will you forgive us." will do.

[jo kus]

Oh, please. This is nothing more than revisionist history touted by the Roman Church to excuse the egregious error. Luther 95 Theses was all about indulgences and the abuse goes back to Wycliff in the early 1400s.

Have I ever denied that there were abuses in indulgences? No! But there were already many other Catholics calling for the abuses to be reigned in before Luther. The difference is that they didn't reject the entire Church. The fact of the matter is that you are WRONG to say that it took the Church 100 years AFTER Luther to say something before the Church did something! That is idiotic - all you have to do is read the 25th Session of the Council of Trent, promulgated less than 50 years after Luther's "Theses".

Did the Vatican ever return the money Tetzel stole for his practices?

Did the Protestant "Deformers" ever pay back the Church for all of the cathedrals and art work they destroyed? What about in England, where practically all of the Church's property was stolen by greedy men pretending to be religious reformers? Didn't you know that the "Reformation" was over money, not religion? Do you think the common man or petty baron gave a hoot about justification by faith alone??? That is pretty gullible, if you think THAT was the motive!

The Catholic Church owes Luther an apology. The Orthodox, much to their credit, had nothing to do with this. A simple, "Luther, we're truly sorry; will you forgive us." will do.

He was given an opportunity to recant. Perhaps you should read the history of those fateful years before 1521 and find out how foul Luther really was and his grandstanding against the Church to win points with the greedy princes of Germany who were chomping at the bit to rob the Church of land and property. His wild claims that the Church's Councils were not infallible sealed his fate as the premier inventor of a gospel that continues to tickle men's ears even today, a gospel that is refuted from Scriptures by each generation of Catholics, even on this very thread.

The typical German could care less about theology - it was all about power and politics. Why listen to Rome when you can listen to your local prince who has dubbed himself the infallible religious authority? Why NOT take some of the Church's property and Land? With enough thought, I am sure the German barons could have come up with ANYTHING to eventually steal what they wanted from Rome. It wasn't the first time that secular powers fought against the Church, and it wasn't be the last.

Regards