Libellus : Addressed to Leo X, Supreme Pontiff

One of the most significant expressions of religious reform and spiritual renewal which emerged between c.1400 and c.1550 was the Libellus ad Leonem. Giustiniani’s and Querini’s proposals for the reform of the Catholic Church and Christendom in this document drew on a wide range of scriptural, humanist, conciliar, monastic, and mystical sources and methods that had medieval antecedents and were adopted by many subsequent reformers during the turbulent years of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. The Libellus was unprecedented in its attacks on the abuse and corruption of the Renaissance Church and it has long fascinated anyone interested in the history of church reform. This excellent translation provides the first full English text of this important document and it offers a new generation of readers and scholars extraordinary access to the minds of two extraordinary figures of the Renaissance.”
Stephen Bowd, The University of Edinburgh

“With this side-by-side text and translation, scholars and students of church reform can now explore an important sixteenth-century text that was unheeded in its time and has been largely overlooked in ours. As the church today continues to unpack the legacy of Vatican II, this volume offers a time capsule photograph of church reform snapped just a few moments before Luther.”
Christopher M. Bellitto, Kean University