In the year 1517, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation because the people were angry that the Pope was focusing on worldly things. Many priests were illiterate and as more people learned how to read, they found it hard to respect a priest who couldn’t even read the Bible. These things contributed to the start of the Reformation, but the main causes were the problems with indulgences, the Pope being power hungry, and the Church becoming corrupt.
The first cause of the Protestant Reformation was the wrongs with indulgences. “The Pope has neither the will nor the power to remit any penalties except those which he has imposed by his own authority or by that of the canons” (Luther 2). The Pope cannot forgive the sins of other people. He can only forgive the sins of other people. Also, the selling of indulgences was to make money, not because the Church actually wanted to save people. There is no doctrine that ever talks about the selling of indulgences. “They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary for those who buy souls (out of Purgatory) or buy confessional licenses” (Luther 3). The sale of indulgences was only for monetary gain and is not
…show more content…
Because so many people fell for the Pope’s tricks and bought indulgences, the Pope gained more and more power. “Christians should be taught that he who gives to a poor man, or lends to a needy man, does better than if he bought pardons. . .” (Luther 3). If giving to the poor is better than indulgences, then why are they sold? They were sold because the Pope gained more money and power through it. In 1545, a wood caricature was made of Pope Alexander VI. This picture portrays the Pope as a power hungry monster saying “Ego sum Papa” (Luther 4) or “I am the Pope.” This shows that all he really cared about was power and this caused the people to call for