Despite all the current outpouring of love and respect for Pope Francis, not everyone in the past has been so enchanted with popes. Martin Luther once referred to the pope as as "ass" and the "Antichrist." In the 1800s, Levi Boone (a relative of Daniel Boone) became mayor by exploiting anti-Catholic sentiment (The No-Nothing Party). And, look at what happened to the Solid Democrat South after that party nominated John F. Kennedy for the presidency.
Indeed, some chapters of the papacy's 2,000-year history are extremely inspirational. but others not so much.
THE SISTINE CHAPEL
This structure was in the news a whole lot this past week. It is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture and an inspiring symbol of papal power. Yet, its construction set in motion a series of events that cost the church millions of parishioners.
It cost a fortune and Pope Sixtus IV, the 15th-century pope for which it is named, and his successors didn't have the money. To pay the bills, they authorized the sale of indulgences-- certificates attesting that the buyer had done penance and the amount of time in purgatory was reduced.
In Germany, a "pardoner" was someone who sold them. This so angered a monk named Martin Luther that this was a major catalyst for the Protestant Reformation and Europe was split in two. The south remained loyal to the papacy, but in the north, Lutheran, Calvinist and other non-Catholic churches were established.
More to Come.
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