A World Ablaze by Craig Harline

Author:Craig Harline
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2017-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE POPE’S NEW GERMAN MAN

In a meeting of the cardinals in Rome on January 9, 1520, an Italian churchman stood up and repeated what Johann Eck had been saying for months, with a twist: that it was time for Pope Leo to finally do something about not just Martin Luther but his protective prince, Frederick, elector of Saxony, before the two of them poisoned the entire church.

Rome had left Luther pretty much alone since his meeting in Augsburg with Cardinal Cajetan in 1518, mostly because Pope Leo wanted Prince Frederick’s vote for a new emperor. Yet when Frederick didn’t vote the way Leo wanted, Leo still didn’t take immediate action: like everybody else, the pope was waiting for the verdict from Leipzig, which he hoped would go against Luther and be enough evidence to persuade Frederick to finally arrest him.

While he waited, Leo showed he was less than happy about the continued bungling of Karel von Miltitz. Among other actions, Miltitz finally handed over the Golden Rose to Frederick in September 1519, in Saxony—or more specifically, he handed it to Frederick’s cousin and councilor, Fabian von Feilitzsch, whom Frederick sent so as not to look too eager himself. The pope hadn’t wanted to give the Rose until Frederick promised to arrest or expel Luther, but he couldn’t go back on his word, and so Cajetan finally instructed Miltitz to take it to him, along with another reminder to obey the church, just like Frederick’s ancestors had (mostly) done. Surely Cajetan or at least Miltitz hoped that by accepting the Rose Frederick was committing himself to arrest Luther. That was in fact exactly what Miltitz said when he gave the Rose to Feilitzsch: now the prince will surely seize the friar. But the councilor didn’t commit Frederick to anything, and Miltitz more or less pretended he was just joking—of course Frederick could have the Rose! What Miltitz really hoped, he added, was that the archbishop of Trier would still judge Luther: that man’s judgment would be good enough for him, and Miltitz’s plan of reconciliation might then come to pass.

It wasn’t good enough for Rome though. In November the papal curia wrote Miltitz to say they weren’t happy with Frederick’s continued delays, which they blamed partly on Miltitz: he’d spent almost the whole past year in the empire and hadn’t accomplished a thing. Pope Leo also kept pressuring Frederick directly, making sure that various letters went out to him, including one from Rafael Riario, who knew Frederick’s deceased brother Ernest: yes, Luther had shown some promise and good ideas at first, the letter said, but now he had gone too far, and was clearly just being ambitious, always a favorite charge of anyone who didn’t like critics. But maybe letters like Riario’s struck a nerve, because by February 1520 Frederick was asking Luther to please keep quiet: he was sure that Rome was about to take real action. But Dr. Martin wouldn’t promise anything, except to keep teaching and preaching the gospel, as he’d sworn to do.

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