martin luther?

Question

why did Martin Luther see the papacy as the crucial block to any meaningful reform of the church?

Answer 1

The pope himself was never the point, per se--rather, it was the *system* of the papacy, the system which places the Church above the scriptures, because it leaves the papacy answerable to no one.

Answer 2

Because the Catholic Church was stuck in tradition (Mass, transubstantiation, icons, salvation by works, etc); they were also sucking people dry by selling indulgences that would help pay for their elaborate churches and property. At this point, the church itself was corrupt. There were papal offices being sold to non-theologians (these "theologians" had wives and concubines) and even kids were given church offices (Pope Leo X held a church office when he was 11).

The Catholic Church would not agree to what Martin Luther proposed; salvation by faith, no works needed to obtain said salvation, etc. They were also not too happy about changing Mass (and the Bible too) from Latin to German so that the common people could understand what was going on. Thankfully, Luther took it upon himself to translate the Bible from Latin to German (following that, the British did the same thing by translating from Latin to English).

I would suggest renting the movie "Luther" with Joseph Fiennes. It's good (not great but good) and it should help illustrate an answer to your question. In the film, Luther mentions his dislike for the Roman Catholic church's debauchery, referring to it as a "circus."

Plus, the Reformation did good to princes that lived in Germany at the time. It allowed them to take lands owned by the Papacy.

Answer 3

Martin Luther was himself candidate for pope. However, due to an unfortunate incident involving a small dog, a stubbed toe, peacock feathers, and molasses, he was disqualified. This rankled him his entire life and he seized upon an opportunity to eliminate the papacy, altogether.

Answer 4

Anon. L.,

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Mark