[Only1choice____Freedom]

Martin had great respect for the authority of the chruch.

He had little respect for the leaders. (sound familiar?)

He did not want to destroy the church or create a new one, just reform it.

From http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/concord/web/smc-pope.html

"The Roman Pontiff claims for himself [in the first place] that by divine right he is [supreme] above all bishops and pastors [in all Christendom].

Secondly, he adds also that by divine right he has both swords, i.e., the authority also of bestowing kingdoms [enthroning and deposing kings, regulating secular dominions etc.].

And thirdly, he says that to believe this is necessary for salvation. And for these reasons the Roman bishop calls himself [and boasts that he is] the vicar of Christ on earth.

These three articles we hold to be false, godless, tyrannical, and [quite] pernicious to the Church."

[A CA Guy]

The Pope is the head of the Church here by Christ. Christ made Peter the first Pope and gave him authority, which has been passed down in succession till this very day to JP2.
The authority of the Pope is over the faith and not an earthly kingdom, though at one time governments were closer to theocracies and some Popes did have governmental control of some nature in history.

There has been times where there was one real Pope and couple of false Popes out there who all claimed authority.

Martin did not like the authority of the church, I don't know where you could get that impression since he refused to listen to authority or participate in many Sacraments of the church.
He (if anything) was among the first HUMANISTS!

[A CA Guy]

"He did not want to destroy the church or create a new one, just reform it. ...M. Luther."

Well nobody of that time saw him fit to be a leader worthy of that. He was never elected Pope, so he was a humanist who was out there trying to make a church in his own image.

He did remember to keep Christ in there as his lord and Salvation for his and other's salvation, so that left the church credible and at least pointing in a right direction despite his influence.