10/15/2026
On this date in Reformation Month history, Martin Luther meets with Cardinal Cajetan.
Martin Luther’s 95 Theses he posted on October 31, 1517 caused the sale of indulgences to decrease. These indulgences (we’ll cover this and the 95 Thesis toward the end of Reformation Month) were sold to finance the building of St. Peter’s Basilica seen today in Rome. Pope Leo X, believing it was simply a dispute among monks, and Luther was simply a “drunken monk,” sent word to keep the monks quiet. But it was too late, as attacks on Luther and counter attacks by Luther had made it impossible to retract.
The pope summoned Luther to Rome. Luther knew that if he obeyed, he would not make it back alive, (as we saw in the last reformer [Hus] who met with Rome's authorities). The pope insisted to Frederick the Wise that he bring this “child of the Devil” to Rome. Frederick the Wise (the powerful Elector of Saxony over Luther’s area) refused and the pope backed down and simply asked for a meeting with Cardinal Cajetan and Luther at Augsburg in present day Germany.
Cajetan met Luther for three days on October 12-14 in 1518--one year after the posting of the 95 Theses.
Cajetan told Luther that he needed to do three things: (1) retract his errors; (2) promise to abstain from those errors in the future; and (3) refrain from doing anything which might disturb the church.
Cajetan was ordered not to debate with Luther but to insist that Luther “revoco” meaning “recant” or “revoke.” Luther said he traveled a long distance for something he could have done from Wittenburg. He’d like to know his errors. The cardinal pointed out two of Luther’s errors— his denunciation of indulgences and Luther’s belief that personal faith was necessary when receiving communion.
Concerning indulgences, Luther said, "I deny that the merits of Christ are a treasure of indulgences because his merits convey grace apart from the pope. The merits of Christ take away sins and increase merits. Indulgences take away merits and leave sins."
And Luther disagreed with the Catholic view of communion. The Catholic view of the communion is that it is a sacrament that operates by virtue of a power within itself—the weakness of the priest or recipient cannot lessen its effect. Luther argued that faith had to be involved by the recipient or he is heaping condemnation upon himself. "I may be wrong on indulgences," declared Luther, "but as to the need for faith in the sacraments I will die before I will recant."
Cajetan reminded Luther that the pope was above councils, the Church and the Scriptures, "His Holiness abuses Scripture," said Luther. "I deny that he is above Scripture." The cardinal flared up at this astonishing statement by Luther. Cajetan shouted that Luther should leave and never come back unless he was ready to say, "Revoco.” Cajetan had instructions to arrest Luther if he refused to recant.
Cajetan left without a “revoco,” or an arrest, as Luther’s friends arranged for him to leave at night through a small gate. The cardinal angrily called Luther a "deep-eyed German beast with strange speculations."
Luther had grown in his reformation ideas--from a devout Roman Catholic monk debating indulgences a year earlier to now questioning papal authority and formally stating belief in sola Scriptura.
Frederick the Wise encouraged Martin to be more moderate. Luther replied, "The more those Romish grandees rage, and meditate the use of force, the less do I fear them, and shall feel all the more free to fight against the serpents of Rome. I am prepared for all, and await the judgment of God."
Luther wrote:
“The Apostolic Legate opposed me with the thunder of his majesty and told me to recant. I told him the pope abused Scripture….These adulators put the pope above Scripture and say that he cannot err. In that case Scripture perishes, and nothing is left in the Church save the word of man. I resist those who in the name of the Roman Church wish to institute Babylon.”
According to historian Philip Scaff, Luther may have had a profound effect on the cardinal--“In his (Cajetan’s) later years, till his death (1534),—perhaps in consequence of his interview with Luther,—he devoted himself chiefly to the study of the Scriptures, and urged it upon his friends.”
https://www.facebook.com/church.history01
“It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and to men of understanding.” (Daniel 2:21)
