In 1517, in the famous act of defiance that launched the Protestant Reformation, Luther nailed his “95 theses” on indulgences to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Among them was this devastating question: ” 82. Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Croesus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers ?” In exposing the empty claims of the church to be God’s authority on earth, Luther challenged the entire hierarchy responsible for exploiting Catholic believers. In his...