Harry´s Blog

The Pope and the Puritan

Herbert Kuhner

Pope Leo X was fat and ugly and as decadent as could be.

Before becoming Pope Leo, Giovanni di Medici teamed up with his cousin Giulio, who would become Pope Clement VII, to beseige and conquer Siena. The Medicis had been driven out of Florence, and when Sienna fell, Florence opened its gates to the two Medici scions, fearing the fate of Siena.

The citizens of Florence had good reason to fear. The soldiers of the two future popes had gone on a pillaging and raping spree in conquered Siena.

When Giovanni became Pope, he followed his sybaritic whims to a T. And puritan priest Luther started out by trying to get him to reform, as well to introduce religious reforms. But Pope Leo would have none of that. He continued to live the life of Reilly in Rome, and he continued to sell salvation for a good price. Luther realized that there would be no reforms, so he launched the Reformation.

Leo X, this most repulsive pope, was the pope that did the most for the arts - and perhaps the greatest patron of the arts in history.

Luther cleaned things up, but he would have none of the arts.

I guess that all of this just proves that life is a paradox and that men are paradoxical.