FaithMarks for May 8, 2025 – The Burning of a Bull

While the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the election of a new pope, Pope Leo XIV today, it's interesting to look back at an earthshaking confrontation between another Pope Leo--the Tenth, and one Martin Luther!

On May 8, 1521, preparations were underway in Rome to finalize one of the most consequential documents of the Reformation era: the papal bull Exsurge Domine. Drafted under Pope Leo X, the bull condemned the writings and teachings of the fiery German reformer, Martin Luther.

The title, Exsurge Domine (“Arise, O Lord”), was an urgent appeal to God to defend His Church, which the pope believed was under siege by heretical ideas. The document would go on to denounce 41 propositions from Luther’s writings—teachings on indulgences, justification by faith, the authority of Scripture over church tradition, and the rejection of papal supremacy.

For Leo X, this was about preserving orthodoxy. For Luther, it was about returning to biblical truth. The two visions of the Church were irreconcilable.

Though officially issued on June 15, the events surrounding May 8 reveal a Church scrambling to respond to a movement that could no longer be contained. The printing press had spread Luther’s words faster than Rome could answer.

And Luther? He didn't back down. He famously burned the bull in public.

The Reformation was no longer a possibility—it was a reality.

Today, as a new pope takes office, we’re reminded of how pivotal the papacy has been in moments of crisis and reform. Some defended the status quo. Others became reformers themselves. All stand in a long line of imperfect yet influential leaders.

📖 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” – Isaiah 40:8