Moreover, the sale of church offices, or ‘simony’, further disfigured the very foundation of the Church. Offices, which should be attained through achievements and appointments, had become mere commodities for the rich to be bought and sold for their revenues and fringe benefits. In many cases, the ‘bishop’ of a diocese would not have set a single foot in his own diocese at all. As an alternative, the noblemen who held offices would often send in unsuitably qualified and lowly educated substitutes to manage the dioceses, but these stand-ins would be ignorant of the Church’s teachings and they would often cause troubles themselves by breaking Church rules. This is a major factor why anticlericalism was so adamant in 16th century Europe.
Comparing with the churches of present time, the Church in the 16th century had a much more for-profit spin. Churchmen would hold onto land bequeathed upon them in people’s will and milk profits from them. Bishops, receiving rents from ordinary people, would need to pay a proportion of their profits, also known as ‘annates’ to their superiors in the church. This would in turn often be imposed on the ordinary people again as the bishops attempt to match gain with loss and obtain a profit. Rather than relying on donations and subsidies, churches then would sell ‘indulgences’, which are reputedly able to lessen one’s suffering in purgatory.
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Corruption has always been a proliferating problem in medieval Europe, but it seemed that people’s appetite for such corruption was decreasing before the Reformation. Even though anticlericalism was rapidly worsening in Europe, it did not cause ordinary people to shy away from Catholicism at all – to the contrary, there was a significant growth in popular piety in the Holy Roman Empire all the way up until the Lutheran Reformation. For both the wealthy and the poor, there was a trend in forming prayer groups which would say prayers and hold masses for members that have passed away. Many were travelling on pilgrimages and relic collection was at its peak yet during the 16th century. At the same time, religious literature was increasingly widespread amongst the population. Financially speaking, the Church was thriving, but otherwise it was not faring well at all. It was facing intensifying criticisms from the general public, who had begun to doubt its existence. As people gradually became more educated in religion, the ecclesiastical shortcomings soon became glaringly obvious.
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In this period, the bubonic plague was rampant in Europe. People who were seemingly healthy would contract the plague without any previous signs, most patients who contracted the plague never recovered. This fear of death, and what lies beyond death, persuaded the public to turn to God. God was a beacon of light to those who were constantly threatened by a mysterious pandemic. People confessed their sins as if by confessing alone, they would become immune to the disease. Priests began to have a greater sway over people as they were considered to be able to purge sins from a person. If the local priest set a bad example, this would cause further unsettlement amongst the public as they question whether the priest is truly their deliverer from death and suffering.
The 16th century also marked the dawn of discovery. Europeans ventured into new territories and discovered new cultures. People became more conscious of other religions and cultures. It seemed that the discovery of foreign land had removed a layer of wool from Europe’s eyes. They were no longer the ‘only’ religion and the ‘only’ culture. The Church’s failings seem more and more substantial, especially compared with religions in other cultures. Many began to doubt whether Catholicism is the ‘true’ religion.
These two factors combined together caused the populace to become more and more anxious about the Church. Roman Catholicism, or at least the Church in this period, did not seem worthy to be trusted. More than anything, the Roman Catholic Church seemed like a sham. People’s disapproval of the Church grew and cries of reformation became ever louder.
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While the Roman Catholic Church was not limited to the Holy Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire was probably the country that was most affected. It lacked a strong secular power, allowing the Pope to have more control over the Church. The Holy Roman Empire was particularly vulnerable to the Pope’s machinations – ecclesiastical elites were often Italians who sent substitutes to their dioceses in the Holy Roman Empire, and yet this was paid by the Germans. The distrust in the Holy Roman Church would not have been only caused from its corruption and failings; the national rivalry between the Holy Roman Empire and Italy is also an important issue during that time. Different to other nations with more powerful secular ruler, the residents in the Holy Roman Empire would have to travel to Rome to appeal for justice. Italians were often biased against foreigners and gradually the public became more disillusioned.
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Gathering all the evidence, therefore it is in my belief that the Roman Catholic Church was already unpopular before the start of the Lutheran Reformation. While the Reformation is undeniably a catalyst in the unravelling of the ancient Roman Catholic Church, it did not cause discontent with the Roman Catholic Church. The unpopularity of the Roman Catholic Church was constantly accumulating, until in the 16th century, it reached the tip in the Lutheran Reformation.
by
cherrinashiugmailcom (student)
