authorities of the Church.

This occasion was provided by the preaching in Germany of an
Indulgence proclaimed by Leo X. (1513-21). The building of St. Peter's
had been begun by Julius II. and was continued by his successor Leo
X., the son of Lorenzo de' Medici, and the great patron of the
Humanist movement. In order to provide funds to enable him to continue
this gigantic undertaking Leo X. proclaimed an Indulgence. In addition
to Confession and Holy Communion it was ordered that those of the
faithful who wished to share in the spiritual favours granted by the
Pope should contribute according to their means for the completion of
St. Peter's, or that they should pray for the success of the work in
case poverty did not permit them to give alms. The publication of the
Indulgence in a great part of Germany was entrusted to Albrecht of
Brandenberg, who had been elected Archbishop of Mainz though he was
already Archbishop of Magdeburg and Administrator of Halberstadt. The
fees to be paid by an archbishop appointed to Mainz were exceptionally
high not to speak of the large sum required for the extraordinary
favour of being allowed to hold two archbishoprics. As a means of
enabling Albrecht to raise the required amount, it was proposed by an
official of the Datary that he should be allowed to retain half of the
contributions given on the occasion of the publication of the
Indulgence in the provinces of Mainz and Magdeburg, and in the lands
of the House of Brandenburg.

To publish the Indulgence in the above-mentioned territories Albrecht
appointed the Dominican John Tetzel,[8] who had acquired already
considerable renown as a preacher. Tetzel was a man of solid education
and of good moral standing, whose reputation as a successful popular
preacher stood high in Germany at this period. Many grave abuses have