What was the pope's response to ninety-five Theses?

Answer 1

The pope's responses to Martin Luther, and his ninety-five theses is covered in The Cleaving of Christendom, by Warren H. Carroll starting on page 8, and running off and on through page 189. In mid-June of 1518, the papal procurator, Mario de Perusco, made a formal charge of heresy against Luther for denying the existence of the treasury of grace and questioning the authority of the Pope. Pope Leo X had ordered Martin Luther to Rome to answer the charges, when Luther manifested that he had no intention on obeying the summons (contrary to his freely taken vow of obedience) the Pope responded by having his legate declare Luther a notorious heretic, and bring him before the German Diet in Augsburg - by arrest, if necessary. On October 12 Luther and Carinal Cajetan met and Luther was instructed to recant two propositions: 1) that the Church does not hold a treasury of graces from Christ and the saints from which to dispense indulgences; and 2) that the sacraments of the Church are efficacious only by faith, and not by their own operation. The Cardinal argued by the authority of St. Thomas Aquinas, whom Martin Luther despised, and Luther insisted that he must be convinced by Scripture, the Fathers, papal definitions, or sound reason. Cardinal Cajetan promptly cited the bull Unigenitus by Pope Clement VI. Luther promptly condemned Unigenitus and withdrew his stated willingness to accept papal definitions - they ended up shouting. Finally, the Pope issued the bull Exsurge Domine specifically condemning the errors of Martin Luther, on June 15, 1520, the following year on January 3, 1521, he issued the bull, Decet Romanum Pontificemexcommunicating Martin Luther, the heretic, and his Followers. See links below.