WI Innocenzo Cardinal Cybo is elected Pope in 1521?

Innocenzo Cardinal Cybo participated in the Conclave of December 1520-January 9, 1521, and, even though (or perhaps because) he was ill and had to cast his vote from his sickbed, he came close to being elected pope. Once his name was suggested he managed about twenty votes, apparently from the younger cardinals, those desirous of continuing the habits of the court of Leo X.
Cardinal Cybo was a good friend of both the French King Francois I and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (who in OTL he named him Cardinal Protector of Germany).
How is a German friendly Pope handles the Martin Luther case in HRE? Would he follow the hard line of Leo X or he would try something smoother? He was friendly to both Kings though so how he would deal with Reformation without disturbing balances in Europe? Any thoughts?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocenzo_Cybo#cite_note-9
 
Innocenzo Cardinal Cybo participated in the Conclave of December 1520-January 9, 1521, and, even though (or perhaps because) he was ill and had to cast his vote from his sickbed, he came close to being elected pope. Once his name was suggested he managed about twenty votes, apparently from the younger cardinals, those desirous of continuing the habits of the court of Leo X.
Cardinal Cybo was a good friend of both the French King Francois I and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (who in OTL he named him Cardinal Protector of Germany).How is a German friendly Pope handles the Martin Luther case in HRE? Would he follow the hard line of Leo X or he would try something smoother? He was friendly to both Kings though so how he would deal with Reformation without disturbing balances in Europe? Any thoughts?

A good first question to ask is whether Cardinal Cybo would have ruled in the vein of a Renaissance Pope or as a more moderate, less debauched, and more politically astute proto-Counter-Reformation Pope. Would he care more about the pleasures of court, or the defense of the faith? Exsurge Domine always struck me as being somewhat mechanical and aloof response to the Luther and the Lutheran reformation. I always got the feeling that Leo X was more concerned about the court of Rome than truly attacking a wayward and faraway Saxon who ended up having a lot more influence than most at that time would suspect. The bull did not address other significant reasons for the Reformation in Germany, namely the desire of princes to throw off the influence of the Church. Rather, it focused on questions of theology that, while important, were politically tone-deaf.

Maybe Cdl. Cybo, given his links to Charles V and his German savvy, might have been able to contain, but not end, the spread of Lutheranism. I doubt, however, that he would have been able to whip up a flurry of paperwork and try to threaten the movement with wordy threats of excommunication. A Papal realization of the political undertones of German Reformation might make negotiations with some princes easier and win certain areas of Germany back to Catholicism. However, the Counter-Reformation is still important for the Roman Church, and I think that a council like Trent would become inevitable when the Roman Church finally realizes the systemic spiritual and moral rot that had set in during the Renaissance period.
 
Maybe Cdl. Cybo, given his links to Charles V and his German savvy, might have been able to contain, but not end, the spread of Lutheranism.

Or he could use Luther and his followers as a tool against any unruly German (or foreign) Princes to make them subordinates to Charles V or the Holy See...
 
Or he could use Luther and his followers as a tool against any unruly German (or foreign) Princes to make them subordinates to Charles V or the Holy See...

That all depends on how far along Luther has separated himself from the doctrine and theology of the Church. The larger issues were intercession, indulgences, and the Eucharist cult, as these were valid doctrines either distorted or intentionally subverted for profit. Luther's "justification by faith" would be much more difficult to square with Catholic doctrine, but perhaps a reversal could be made there as well.

the Pope would have to persuade Luther to reconcile with the Church once again, probably through an intermediary. Luther would probably demand an end to the sales of indulgences in Germany. However, no Pope will likely stop the selling of indulgences because the construction of New St. Peter's rests on their sales. If Luther could reconcile with the Church on theology, perhaps he could also adopt the Church's political views. Only then perhaps Luther could convince German Princes not to rebel, and strengthen the rule of Charles V. But the princes' taste of freedom from Rome would make it difficult to undo many of the political stirrings that Luther engendered in Northern Germany.
 
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the Pope would have to persuade Luther to reconcile with the Church once again, probably through an intermediary. Luther would probably demand an end to the sales of indulgences in Germany. However, no Pope will likely stop the selling of indulgences because the construction of New St. Peter's rests on their sales. If Luther could reconcile with the Church on theology, perhaps he could also adopt the Church's political views. Only then perhaps Luther could convince German Princes not to rebel, and strengthen the rule of Charles V. But the princes' taste of freedom from Rome would make it difficult to undo many of the political stirrings that Luther engendered in Northern Germany.

Who would be the intermediary? Cardinal Cajetan? Cardinal Aleandro? I dont think so... Luther was attacking them along with the Pope and the rest of the Curia... U have to find someone saintly enough in order to lure Luther into a dialogue again...
 
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