March 13 - Reform in Rome?

March 13 - Reform in Rome?

After Pope Leo X pushed Martin Luther into writing the 95 Theses and beginning the Reformation, the college of Cardinals realized just how bad the path was that the church was taking. The church was running out of money because of the extravagant purchases that it had been making, the reformation was decimating the church in Germany. It was time for change.

They met and chose a non-Italian pope for the first time in 200 years. As it turned out, he would be the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II in 1978. Adrian Dedel was from the Netherlands and had been the Inquisitor of Spain. He took the name Adrian VI and arrived in Rome for the first time in August of 1522.

Dedel had also been the tutor for Charles of Hapsburg who became Emperor Charles V, King of Spain. He was a brilliant man and recognized the need for reform in the church. He went to Rome with that in mind.

Then he ran into trouble. There was no desire among the clergy of Rome to give up their luxuries. They liked their lives. Islam was moving again trying to take territory and rid the area of Christianity. The plague hit Rome. When the cardinals left the city, Pope Adrian VI had no one to support his reform. Since the church had no money, he was accused of being miserly. But his heart was in the right place, even though he achieved nothing.

Within two years, Adrian VI died at the age of 64. He accomplished very little during his papacy, due mainly to the fact that he had very little knowledge of the politics of Rome and very little support.

The church was trying ... it just hadn't succeeded yet in returning to the strength of its beginning.