How far did the condition of the church at the beginning of the sixteenth century suggest that the Reformation was likely?

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Church was corrupt and highly criticised. The ideology of the rulers of the major European countries was striving to become individual and commit themselves apart from the Church. The whole of humanity was becoming less refer with the Church and religious implications and more so with the importance of military man and human development.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, there was no substitute to the Roman Catholic Church. So the Church had complete designer over the religious lives of the people of Europe; the Pope had tot control over the running of the Church and so over the people of Europe. Through this, the Pope was corrupt, using his power and countenance in ways against that which he should do in union with living simply and peacefully as Gods representative on Earth. There had been problems with the Pope and a splitting of power by dint of the fourteenth century with the Great Schism and political rivalries exposing the corrupt system in place and allowing there to be a lack of boldness in the authority of the Pope. The Popes in the early sixteenth century were ambitious, political and interested in the attainment of wealth; Julius II, The Warrior Pope, cherished to control Italy and Leo X was more interested in building the Basilica than his spiritual role.



Although there was a draw poker of corruption involving Popes, which was exaggerated by Protestants, respect for the Pope remained.

As well(p) as the Pope being corrupt, the Clergy were too; many in the Priesthood seemed to have forgotten their vows and were acting against them, often ignorant and hypocritical, exploiting their parishes with relics and indulgences. Members of the clergy were hangdog of breaking their vows of poverty through materialism, obedience through absenteeism and chastity...

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