Was Pope Leo X corrupt?

[Belloc_Fan]

That would be St. Catherine of Sienna, who is also a Doctor of the Church.

Ha ha, yup. She told him to “be a man.”. The gal’s got guts!

 

[Vouthon]

Why does Pope Leo X get such a bad press?

True, he was no saint, but he was a well-intentioned, warm and at times very inspiring and far-sighted man. Yes, he enjoyed life’s luxuries, but are any of us perfect?

Personally, I’m a fan of Leo X. Was he corrupt? Well he loved music, all forms of art and Greek tragedies. Leo’s lively interest in art and literature was reputed to have caused him a faninancial crisis. He is known, I think, for granting indulgences to those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter’s Basilica. He also sold cardinals’ hats and membership in the "Knights of Peter. So yes, he could at times be “excessive” with his personal tastes and a indeed corrupt but he certainly was not a “bad” Pope in any way, and negated his bad qualities with strikingly humanitarian ones.

Some GREAT things he did:

1. **Condemned slavery outright: **

“Not only the Christian religion, but nature herself, cries out against slavery” - Pope Leo X

James Bowden writes of Leo:

“…Pope Leo X declared against slavery at a very early stage of its existence, and he did so under somewhat extraordinary circumstances…Leo X was one of the most learned of the popes, and, doubtless was fully aware that, mainly by the voice of the Church, slavery had been extinguished in western Europe…”

Does this not show great humanity, despite the faults of this man?

1. His great charity. One scholar writes:

“Leo X was lavish in charity: retirement homes, hospitals, convents, discharged soldiers, pilgrims, poor students, exiles, cripples and the sick, unfortunates of every description were generously remembered, and more than 6,000 ducats were annually distributed in alms”

1. **His incredible patronage of learning: **

“As a patron of learning Leo X deserves a prominent place among the popes. He raised the Church to a high rank as the friend of whatever seemed to extend knowledge or to refine and embellish life. He made the capital of Christendom, Rome, the center of European culture…”

1. His compassion for the Jewish people during a time of great antisemitism:

“Leo showed special favours to the Jews and permitted them to erect a Hebrew printing-press at Rome…Leo X abolished certain discriminatory levies, did not enforce the wearing of the badges Jews had been forced to put on in the 12th century and also sanctioned the establishment of the Hebrew Printing Press. Leo X, as well as other popes from this period, such as Sixtus IV, retained Jewish physicians in Rome” - JEWISH VIRTUAL LIBRARY

1. His cheefulness and warmth of heart even in times of great personal adversity:

With reference to his other virtues, Ludovico Pastor comments that “the joyful humor, celebrated by all his contemporaries, never left the Pope, even amidst the multiple nightmares that the dispositions of his weakened health implied.”

1. **His aversion to war and belief that peace and goodwill between men is the most important thing of all: **

A report of the Venetian ambassador Marino Giorgi bearing the date of March 1517 indicates some of his predominant characteristics:

"…The pope is a good-natured and extremely free-hearted man, who avoids every difficult situation and above all wants peace; he would not undertake a war himself unless forced into it by his advisors; he loves learning; of canon law and literature he possesses remarkable knowledge; he is, moreover, a very excellent musician…"

Despite all his faults, LEO X WAS A GOOD MAN. He wasn’t a saint, he had many faults, be at heart he was a good man.

Personally I like him and don’t think that he need be “perfect” to still be, over all, a decent human being and a force for good

 

[Evan]

Pope Leo X is associated with the selling of the indulgences to rebuild St. Peter’s Cathedral…

What positive legacy did he leave the Church?

Have you ever been to St Peter’s? That is one legacy the shines before the world

 

[unshinbop]

One of the reasons I have faith in the Church is because I’ve always thought that the man in the office was a holy man. I know that the college of cardinals elects the Pope in the conclave and I have always believed it to be a very solemn endeavor guided by the Holy Spirit. Am I wrong (naive) to think this? has it not always been this way?

In my lifetime I have seen two of the holiest Pope’s who have ever lived. JPII and Benedict. Both very intelligent and holy. It is so hard for me to imagine any pope’s not being like that.

You are definitely naive to think this. Your own experience teaches you that people will steal if they are sure they can get away with it. Your own experience teaches you that if somebody in power can do a favor for a friend that they otherwise wouldn’t do for a stranger, they will. Your own experience teaches you that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Cops are not allowed to drive over the speed limit when not in pursuit of a call or speeding car or other emergency, yet we regularly see them passing us doing 80 on the freeway with no sign that they are on a call. After all…if they ARE breaking the law, who is gonna pull them over and give them a ticket? Right?

Elections are rigged, politicians make promises they NEVER keep, people use their position of power and trust to do illegal things. You are definitely naive if you think the public information about the person you are researching is all the truth about them. If you must wonder, then you should suspect corruption as the default position, and not change your mind until there is good evidence that some alleged leader is NOT corrupt.

Do yourself a favor: stop viewing certain assemblies of leaders as anything special. God knows your heart, and if you busy yourself doing for your fellows what Jesus said, you will be too busy blessing others and attending to your own life to be wasting your time wondering whether you should trust a group of men that you will probably never meet. When is the last time you remember any elected politician actually ACCOMPLISHING any promise he made when he was running for that office?

Don’t tithe: spend that 10% of your income on a person who needs clothes or food or shelter, and do it yourself. Don’t be like those old people who just gawk at TV all day and send their grocery money Jan and Paul Crouch of “TBN”. If YOU have a way to make sure your tithing money doesn’t get wasted, then YOU employ that method. The only people who would disagree with me are those who financially or otherwise benefit from those who tithe indiscriminately to the church and never question anything.

 

[Warrenton]

I might read it… Who is Hilaire Belloc? Is/was he Catholic?

Hillaire Belloc was the Catholic man of letters par excellence at the turn of the previous century. He championed the faith and exposed the anti Catholic bias in English speaking culture as a myth. He was not, however, blind to errors made by Catholics in his day or in historical times.

 

[Warrenton]

Have you ever been to St Peter’s? That is one legacy the shines before the world

This is so interesting - while St. Peter’s is a grand edifice, I am sorry that Old Saint Peter’s was not restored. It was the holiest shrine in all Christendom, and one of the most ancient. It was given to the Church by the emporer of Rome. Hundreds of popes, saints, bishops and defenders of the faith were buried there. Some of the greatest saints ever prayed before its altars, including St. Francis.

It says something about the man who would demolish such a structure.