Alexander VI​—Wanfala Pope wea Rome No Forgetim

“LONG saed bilong Catholic Church, no eni toktok hem strong fitim for barava tok againstim Alexander VI.” (Geschichte der Päpste seit dem Ausgang des Mittelalters [History of the Popes From the End of the Middle Ages]) “No eni excuse for fasin bilong hem . . . Mifala mas talem stret hao disfala pope no honorim Church. Nomata olketa lukim kaen samting olsem finis, pipol barava seke long olketa nogud samting wea Borgia famili duim, wea olketa samting wea kamaot from diswan hem go ahed for winim foa handred year.”—L’Église et la Renaissance (1449-1517)(The Church and the Renaissance).

Why nao olketa raeting wea pipol respectim abaotem history bilong Roman Catholic Church talem olketa barava nogud samting abaotem wanfala pope and famili bilong hem? Wanem nogud samting nao olketa duim? Wanfala show long Rome (October 2002–February 2003), wea garem title I Borgia—l’arte del potere (The Borgias—The Art of Power), givim chance for ting raonem paoa and olketa right wea olketa pope sei olketa garem, main samting, hem wei wea Rodrigo Borgia, or Alexander VI (pope 1492-1503) iusim paoa and olketa right hia.

Kasem Paoa

Rodrigo Borgia hem born long 1431 long wanfala important famili long Játiva, long kingdom bilong Aragon, wea distaem hem Spain. Uncle bilong hem, Alfonso de Borgia, bishop bilong Valencia, lukaftarem education bilong hem and hem mek sure hao taem Rodrigo hem teenager yet, hem kasem olketa position insaed church wea kasem pei. Long age 18, taem Alfonso, wea long datfala taem kamap wanfala cardinal lukaftarem hem yet, Rodrigo muv go long Italy for studyim law. Taem Alfonso kamap Pope Calixtus III, hem mekem Rodrigo and nara uncle bilong hem cardinal. Hem mekem Pere Lluís Borgia kamap governor bilong samfala taon. No longtaem bihaen, Rodrigo kasem appointment olsem vice-chancellor bilong church, wanfala position wea hem garem taem samfala pope rul, wea mekem hem fit for kasem planti gudfala samting, riches, bigfala paoa, and gudfala living bilong wanfala prince.

Rodrigo hem garem savve, hem gudfala speaker, hem saportim art, and hem fit for duim wanem hem laek for duim. Bat hem duim sex witim planti woman, and givim fofala pikinini long wanfala woman wea hem frenim for full laef bilong hem, and givim olketa nara pikinini long olketa nara woman. Nomata Pope Pius II givim strongfala kaonsel long hem bikos long “barava dirty” hapitaem wea hem laekem wea “ova tumas,” Rodrigo no changem wei bilong hem.

Taem Pope Innocent VIII hem dae long 1492, olketa cardinal bilong church meet for chusim samwan for changem hem. Thru long wei for offerim planti samting, Rodrigo Borgia baem inaf vote from olketa nara cardinal for kamap Pope Alexander VI. Hao nao hem baem olketa vote bilong olketa cardinal? Thru long wei for givim position long olketa, givim olketa palace, castle, taon, abbey, and olketa bishopric wea givim staka selen. Iumi savve minim why nao wanfala man wea raetem history bilong church kolem rul bilong Alexander VI “olketa day bilong shame for Roman Church.”

Semsem Olsem Olketa Prince Bilong World

From hem garem spiritual paoa olsem hed bilong church, Alexander VI help for finisim raoa abaotem wea nao spialaen midolwan Spain and Portugal and abaotem olketa niu territory wea olketa faendem long Americas. Paoa wea hem garem mekem hem hed bilong olketa state bilong church witim olketa territory long midol long Italy, and wei wea hem rulim kingdom bilong hem hem semsem olsem eni nara ruler bilong Renaissance. Olsem olketa nara pope wea rul bifor and bihaen long hem, rul bilong Alexander VI hem showaot long wei for givim bribe, favorim olketa famili member, and dae bilong winim wanfala man wea luk olsem maet hem nao guilty for duim.

Long olketa nogud taem hia, olketa ruler wea againstim each other trae for kasem olketa territory bilong Italy, and pope hem barava insaed diswan. For mekem paoa wea hem garem kamap moa big, mekem olketa pikinini garem hae position, and mekem Borgia famili hae winim olketa nara famili, hem mekem and brekem olketa plan and agreement saed long politik. Son bilong hem Juan, wea maritim kasin bilong king bilong Castile, kamap duke bilong Gandía, Spain. Nara son bilong hem, Jofré, maritim grandota bilong king bilong Naples.

Taem datfala pope needim wanfala kantri wea saedem hem for strongim wei wea hem fren witim France, hem brekem promis bilong hem for dota bilong hem Lucrezia, wea 13 year, maritim wanfala bigman bilong Aragon and givim hem long wanfala relative bilong duke bilong Milan. Gogo, taem datfala marit no helpem hem saed long politik, hem faendem reason for finisim, and hem mekem Lucrezia maritim wanfala member bilong wanfala enemy rul, Alfonso bilong Aragon. Taem evri samting hia go ahed, brata bilong Lucerzia, Cesare Borgia, wea aftarem hae position and barava raf tumas, mekem kamap wei for fren witim Louis XII bilong France, and hem kasem shame from wei wea sista bilong hem maritim Alfonso bilong Aragon. Ansa for diswan? Wanfala buk talem hao hasband bilong hem Alfonso, “garekil taem fofala man trae for killim hem dae long olketa step bilong St. Peter’s Basilica. Taem hem rest from diswan, wanfala servant bilong Cesare killim hem dae.” From disfala pope laek for kasem saport bilong olketa nara kantri, hem arrange for Lucrezia, wea long datfala taem age bilong hem 21, for maritim datfala duke bilong Ferrara wea garem paoa, wea datwan nao mek-thri marit bilong hem.

Wanfala buk sei laef bilong Cesare hem “fulap witim blood and rabis fasin.” Nomata dadi bilong hem appointim Cesare olsem wanfala cardinal taem hem 17 year, war nao fitim hem winim waka for church from hem kleva, laek for win, and evritaem duim samting wea barava no stret. Bihaen hem finis from waka bilong church, hem maritim wanfala princess from France, wea mekem hem kamap duke bilong Valentinois. Then, witim saport bilong olketa soldia long France, hem attakim olketa taon and killim dae olketa man witim plan for kontrolem north part bilong Italy.

For mek sure Cesare savve iusim saport bilong army bilong France for kasem olketa goal bilong hem, pope letem Louis XII bilong France kasem divorce wea barava no stret bat wea letem hem for maritim Anne of Brittany mekem hem savve addim go territory bilong hem olsem duchess long kingdom bilong hem. Wanfala reference hem sei, hem olsem pope hia “sakrifaesim position bilong Church and olketa principle for mekem olketa famili member bilong hem kasem bignem and position.”

Strong Toktok Againstim Olabaot Fasin Bilong Pope

Fasin bilong Borgia famili for ova tumas mekem olketa garem olketa enemy and mekem pipol tok strong againstim olketa. Pope no lisin long olketa hia, bat hem kanduit for no lisin long Girolamo Savonarola. Hem wanfala Dominican monk, man for preach strong, and wanfala leader bilong politik long Florence. Hem tok strong againstim rabis fasin bilong olketa wea waka tugeta witim pope and againstim olketa nogud wei and fasin bilong pope tu. Hem laekem hem for mas finis olsem pope and for olketa change kamap insaed church. Savonarola singaot olsem: “Olketa leader bilong church, . . . long naet iufala duim fornication and long morning iufala duim service long church.” Bihaen hem sei: “[Olketa leader hia] garem feis bilong jury, olketa spoelem church. Mi talem iu stret, olketa hia no biliv long Christian faith.”

From hem laek for switim Savonarola for no talemaot olketa samting hia, pope offerim hem position bilong cardinal, bat hem nating willing. Maet from hem traem eni wei saed long politik for aotem pope, or from preaching bilong hem, gogo olketa aotem Savonarola from church, arrestim hem, killim hem for forcem hem for talem samting, and then hangem and bonem hem.

Olketa Serious Kwestin

Olketa samting hia wea happen long history mekem olketa important kwestin kamap. Hao nao wanfala pope wea garem nogud wei and fasin olsem? Wanem nao tingting bilong olketa wea raetem history? Olketa talem olketa difren reason.

Long tingting bilong planti, iumi mas tingim tingting bilong pipol wea stap long taem bilong Alexander VI. Olketa talem dat olketa samting hem duim saed long church and politik hem duim from hem laek for protectim peace, strongim wei for fren witim olketa wea bae defendim position bilong hem olsem pope, and keepim olketa ruler long Christendom for wan mind againstim Turkey.

Bat waswe long fasin bilong hem? Wanfala savveman hem sei, “Long full history bilong Church, hem garem olketa Christian wea nogud, and olketa priest wea no fit. For mekem no eniwan seke long diswan, Christ talem profesi abaotem diswan; hem sei Church bilong hem olsem wanfala field wea gudfala wheat and rabis grass grow, or olsem wanfala net wea garem olketa gud and nogud fish insaed, olsem wei wea hem letem Judas stap midolwan olketa aposol bilong hem.”a

Datfala sem savveman hem sei: “Long sem wei wea wanfala ring wea bend no savve affectim diamond wea stop long hem, olsem tu, sin bilong wanfala priest no savve affectim . . . samting wea hem teachim. . . . Gold hem gold, nomata hand wea givimaot hem klin or no klin.” Wanfala Catholic man for raetem history talem hao long saed bilong Alexander VI, olketa tru Catholic long datfala taem shud followim kaonsel wea Jesus givim long olketa disaepol bilong hem abaotem olketa scribe and Pharisee: ‘Duim wanem olketa talem, no wanem olketa duim.’ (Matthew 23:2, 3) Bat, waswe, iu satisfae witim olketa reason olsem?

Waswe, Diswan Hem Tru Christian Wei?

Jesus givim wanfala simpol mark for testim sapos samwan hem really Christian: “From frut bilong olketa iufala bae luksavve long olketa. Waswe, pipol savve kasem olketa grape from olketa nila grass or olketa fig from olketa rabis grass? Long sem wei tu, evri gudfala tree hem garem gudfala frut, bat evri rotten tree hem garem nogud frut; wanfala gudfala tree kanduit garem nogud frut, and wanfala nogud tree kanduit garem gudfala frut. Tru nao, from frut bilong olketa iufala bae luksavve long olketa man olsem.”—Matthew 7:16-18, 20.

Long wanem wei nao staka leader bilong religion, insaed history and distaem, followim tru Christian Wei wea Jesus hem startim and wea olketa tru follower bilong hem showimaot? Tingim tufala samting—wei for join insaed politik, and wei bilong living.

Jesus hem no olsem wanfala bigman bilong world. Living bilong hem barava simpol. Hem talem stret hao hem “no garem ples for putim hed bilong hem for sleep.” Kingdom bilong hem “no part bilong disfala world,” and olketa disaepol bilong hem mas “no part bilong world, olsem [hem] tu no part bilong world.” So Jesus nating willing for join insaed politik bilong datfala taem.—Matthew 8:20; John 6:15; 17:16; 18:36.

Bat for planti century olketa religion garem wei for kaban witim olketa ruler bilong politik for kasem paoa and riches, nomata diswan mekem pipol for safa. Hem tru tu hao planti bigman bilong church garem rich living, nomata staka pipol long church bilong olketa poor.

James wea hem haf brata bilong Jesus, hem sei: “Pipol for duim adultery, waswe, iufala no savve hao wei for fren witim world hem wei for enemy witim God? So, eniwan wea laek for kamap fren bilong world hem mekem hemseleva kamap enemy bilong God.” (James 4:4) Why nao olketa kamap “enemy bilong God”? First John 5:19 hem sei: “Full world hem stap long paoa bilong wicked wan.”

Wanfala man for raetem history wea stap long taem bilong Borgia sei olsem abaotem fasin bilong Alexander VI: “Living bilong hem barava ova tumas. Hem nating savve shame or honest, hem no garem faith or religion. Hem fulap witim greedy fasin, wei for aftarem bignem, raf fogud, and hem barava wantem olketa pikinini bilong hem for kasem hae position.” Bat, Borgia hem no only bigman bilong church wea garem fasin olsem.

Wanem nao Bible sei abaotem fasin olsem? Aposol Paul hem ask olsem: “Waswe, iufala no savve hao pipol wea no raeteous bae no kasem kingdom bilong God? No giamanim iufala seleva. Olketa wea duim fornication, or . . . duim adultery or . . . wea greedy . . . bae no kasem kingdom bilong God.”—1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

Wanfala goal bilong datfala show long Rome abaotem Borgia famili hem “for minim olketa bigman hia followim olketa samting wea go ahed long datfala taem. . . , for minim bat no for judge.” Tru nao, olketa wea visitim datfala show free for disaed seleva long diswan. So wanem nao tingting bilong iu?

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 26]

Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI

[Piksa long page 27]

Dadi bilong Lucrezia Borgia iusim hem for kasem moa paoa

[Piksa long page 28]

Cesare Borgia aftarem bignem and hem evritaem duim samting wea no stret

[Piksa long page 29]

From Girolamo Savonarola no letem olketa stopem hem for tok aot, olketa hangem and bonem hem