The Instruction of Pope Adrian VI (1522-1523), read by the papal nuncio Francesco Chieregati to the German princes gathered at the Diet of Nuremberg on January 3, 1523, constitutes a memorable document. Indeed, the context in which this instruction was dictated by the Pontiff is rooted in the severe crisis of the 16th century. “Two things,” declared the Pope during the consistory of September 1, 1522, “are particularly close to my heart: the union of Christian princes to fight the common enemy, the Turks, and the reform of the Roman Curia” (see the work cited below, p. 61). To these events must be added the Protestant crisis.
Adrian VI did not merely point out the Church’s ailments; he sought a profound reform to address them, a reform he had undertaken with firm determination, starting from the top. Wherever possible, he opposed the accumulation of wealth, prohibited all forms of simony, and carefully ensured the election of individuals worthy of ecclesiastical offices, gathering the most precise information on the age, morals, and education of candidates, while relentlessly combating moral failings. With the radical reform of the Roman Curia undertaken by Adrian VI, this noble Pope not only aimed to end a state of affairs that deeply repulsed him, but he also hoped, through this means, to deprive the German states of the pretext for their apostasy from Rome.
Large excerpts of this papal document are transcribed by the Austrian historian Ludwig von Pastor in his famous work Geschichte der Päpste – History of the Popes. Shortly after the publication of the first part of this work, Leo XIII honored the author with a significant Brief. Later, on the occasion of the publication of the fourth volume, Pastor was rewarded with a letter of praise written by the hand of Pope Saint Pius X.
Pope Adrian VI (1522-1523)
We now highlight the final part of this instruction:
“I will further say that we openly confess that God permits this persecution of His Church because of the sins of men, and especially of priests and prelates; it is certain that God’s hand is not so shortened that He cannot save us, but it is sin that separates us from Him, so that He does not hear us. Holy Scripture clearly teaches that the sins of the people originate in the sins of the clergy, and this is why, as (Saint John) Chrysostom points out, our Redeemer, when He wished to purify the diseased city of Jerusalem, first went to the temple to punish the sins of the priests, like a good physician who treats the disease at its root. We know well that, even within this Holy See, many detestable things have manifested for years: abuses in ecclesiastical matters, violations of precepts; indeed, everything has turned to evil. It is therefore not surprising that the disease has spread from the head to the members, from the popes to the prelates.
“We all, prelates and ecclesiastics, have strayed from the path of justice, and for a long time, there was no one who acted rightly. Therefore, we must all give glory to God and humble ourselves before Him: let each one reflect on the reasons for his fall and rise again, rather than be judged by God on the day of His wrath. Therefore, in our name, you will promise that we want to put all our zeal into first improving the Roman Curia, from which perhaps all these evils originated; thus, just as the disease began here, so too will the healing begin here, to which we feel all the more obliged since everyone desires such a reform. We never sought the papal dignity and would have preferred to close our eyes in the solitude of private life: we would have gladly renounced the tiara, and only respect for God, the legitimacy of the election, and the danger of schism led us to assume the office of supreme pastor, which we do not wish to exercise out of ambition, nor to enrich our relatives, but to restore to the Holy Church, the bride of God, her original beauty, to help the oppressed, to elevate learned and virtuous men, and, in general, to do all that befits a good pastor and a true successor of Saint Peter.
“However, let no one be surprised if we do not eliminate all abuses at once, for the disease has deep roots and is highly branched: we will therefore proceed step by step, and first, we will address the grave and most dangerous evils with appropriate remedies, so that a hasty reform of everything does not further confuse the situation. Aristotle rightly says that any sudden change is dangerous for the republic” (cf. op. cit., vol. IV, Part II, Rome, Desclée & C. Editori, 1923, pp. 87-88).
How many profound lessons can be drawn from these noble and wise considerations! No one can call them irreverent toward the Holy Church, scandalous, revolutionary, or blasphemous, as some narrow-minded Catholics might be quick to do.
And how many concrete examples could be cited in every country of contemporary Christendom to confirm these teachings of Adrian VI!