Luther Page #4

simple rules of protocol.

When you meet the Cardinal,

you will throw yourself on the floor,

face to the ground.

The Cardinal will tell you to stand,

at which time you will kneel

and remain kneeling

throughout your hearing.

Do you understand?

Yes.

If the church takes exception

to a single point,

I will submit to her immediately.

But I'm sure when the Cardinal

and Pope Leo

understand my position...

they'll find no fault with me.

We have a misunderstanding.

There will be no discussion.

No debate.

You have one word to say

and one word only.

Revoco...

I recant...

and the matter is over.

I think we do have

a misunderstanding.

I came to Augsburg

to warn the Pope

about the abuses

against the faithful

by the indulgence preachers.

Have a care, Brother Martin.

It is the Pope who shall decide

what is or is not

beneficial to Christendom.

This evening, one word.

Revoco.

Thank you, Excellency.

Brother Martin...

with your permission,

I'm going to arrange a bath for you.

Thank you, Excellency.

My son, I know you desire

to be a faithful servant

of Christ and His church.

I am here to help you.

Stand on your feet, my son.

What do you have to say?

Have I erred?

Yes, you have erred.

How?

That I may avoid such error again.

You have erred

by teaching new doctrines.

Which of my teachings

is offensive to Rome?

For one, indulgences.

Pope Clement's decree,

Unigenitus.

clearly states that

the merits of Christ

are a treasure of indulgences.

Acquire.

I'm sorry, Your Grace.

I think you'll find it says...

"The merits of Christ acquire

the treasure of indulgences."

I am not here

to wrangle with you.

No, Your Grace.

But Unigenitus was issued

175 years ago,

and were this decree

not so embarrassing to our church,

perhaps it would not be

commonly called Extravagante

and left out of

most collections of canon law.

It contradicts Anommitanos.

Our present Pope Leo is

in harmony with Clement's decree...

and there ends the matter.

The honor of the Papacy

is not preserved

by the naked assertion

of Papal authority,

but by safeguarding

the Pope's credibility

and the clear testimonies

of divine Scripture.

The Pope interprets Scripture.

He may interpret it...

but he is not above it.

He was to say one word.

We both know

the selling of indulgences

have no Scriptural support.

If common people could

read the Bible for themselves,

they would understand

just how broad

the church's interpretations are.

That is outrageous!

The Scriptures are too complex

for even the average priest

to understand,

much less the common man!

Indulgences are

an established tradition

which give comfort to

millions of simple Christians.

Comfort? Your Grace,

I'm not interested in comfort.

Comfort is not the issue!

So you consider your discomfort

more important than

the survival of Christianity?

I'm interested in the truth!

The truth?

The Turks are building armies

on our eastern borders.

We are on the brink of war.

To the west, lies a world of souls

who have never heard the name of Christ.

That is the truth!

Christianity is tearing apart,

and just when we need

unity most,

you create confusion!

My goal is not to quarrel

with the Pope or the church,

but to defend them

with more than mere opinion.

The Gospel cannot be denied

for the word of man.

I refuse to argue

with that monk.

You said he was a simpleton.

He questioned

the Pope's authority.

Anommitanos.

Unigenitus.

Or shall we call it Extravagante

like the rest of the world?

He's a heretic.

Our orders were clear.

Either he recant...

Do not presume

to lecture me, Aleander.

I know perfectly well

what our orders were.

I kept my temper and merely asked

to be shown the error of my ways.

If you do not recant, you will be

delivered to the Inquisition.

Will you recant?

What?

Then there is only one way

to save your life.

Kneel.

Kneel!

Martin Luther,

in the name of Christ,

I release you from your vows

to the Augustinian order

and commend you to God's mercy.

I'm no longer your father,

do you understand?

Were I your father,

then under canon law,

I would be obligated to

deliver you to the authorities!

But I'll be

your spiritual father...

until the day I die.

Now go.

Go quickly!

There is a horse at the back gate.

Don't leave me alone,

Father. Please.

Father!

My prince.

how shall I answer?

The Cardinal demands

that Luther be delivered to Rome

or banished from Saxony.

Have you read Luther's work?

Yes, all of it.

Yes. He's a brilliant

little monk, isn't he,

with an independent mind.

Yes, he is.

Oh, Spalatin, you were

at law school with him, weren't you?

Did he show any inclination then

of surrender to influence?

No.

After all, all he has done

is to debate, eloquently,

on a most interesting subject.

And, after all,

that is all one can ask

a good university professor to do.

So what shall we say

to the Cardinal?

Nothing.

My lord, we have to respond.

Spalatin, there are

two ways of saying no

to someone you believe to be

stronger than yourself.

The first is to say nothing

and go on merely doing

what you were doing before,

and pretend

that you never heard,

allow time and inertia

to be your allies.

And the second?

And the second is to say no

in such a kind and thoughtful way

it befuddles them.

Naturally, if both

these strategies fail,

there is nothing but to relent.

Or to fight!

And of course,

if you decide to fight,

you also have to decide to win.

No, I'm not going to

send my monk to Rome.

They'll only kill him.

It's so irritating.

Who are they

to deprive my university

of such a fine mind?

Your little German monk

is still spewing filth at us.

He has a new cartoon circulating.

He calls you an ass

playing a harp, Cajetan.

The point, Your Holiness,

is that he does not write in Latin.

Luther writes in German.

That is his sword.

So he does not

play like a gentleman?

Ordinary Germans

can quote his work.

If we wait,

we might be too late.

You exaggerate his importance.

Besides, you told me yourself

you agree with his list of abuses.

Some of his concerns

have long been held

by those who love the church, yes.

I don't suppose your little monk

would be interested

in a cardinal's hat?

I think he would be

ashamed to wear it, Your Holiness.

We must put pressure

on Prince Frederick, Excellency.

Aleander is right.

Frederick is our key to Luther.

Germany is on the brink of chaos,

and we don't want

to divide the church.

I grow tired of you

missing the big picture, Cajetan.

That's why I've sent Karl von Miltitz

to Germany in your stead.

My lord, greetings

from our most Holy Father.

As for me, I am

especially honored to meet you,

as all of Christendom knows of

your steadfast devotion to the faith.

I have brought you a gift

from our Holy Father...

to express his highest esteem

for your lordship,

for, as you know, my lord,

this most sacred rose

is consecrated annually

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