Leo did not neglect his office as pope, although to maintain an opulent lifestyle and finance his military operations, he exacted fees for promotions, sold various offices and went deeply into debt.

One of those office holders was Albrecht of Mainz. To pay for the Pallium of the See of Mainz, Albrecht borrowed 21,000 ducats (some reports say it was closer to 50,000 ducats). The sale of indulgences allowed Albrecht to pay off his debt as long as he would split the returns with Pope Leo X.

It is during this time frame that Martin Luther sends a letter to Albrecht of Mainz to “alert” him that indulgences were being sold in Albrecht’s name. It is not certain whether Luther knew that Albrecht was the very man profiting from their sale. Albrecht forwarded Luther’s letter, along with a copy of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, to Pope Leo X, asking that the presumptuous monk be silenced.