The breakaway of the Protestants from the church during the Renaissance, and the confiscation of church lands and revenue sources by rising nation-states, led the papacy from become more regionalized and, therefore, more Italian. Popes played the roles of "secular prince, autocratic warlord, and hated tax collector." This loss of the claim to world dominance was further hindered by the brutal Sack of Rome in 1527 by Charles V.
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Julius II
The Renaissance church, although motivated by piety, humility, poverty, and self-sacrifice, was corrupt. Popes were labeled with accolades such as nepotism, alienation, simony, pluralism, and absenteeism. Many of the Protestant reformers saw the pope as the Antichrist and Rome as a Babylon.
Keeping in mind as well that they took up these roles partially out of necessity as well. While there certainly was corruption at the time, the Popes were not the only guilty party,
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd love to see you elaborate more on the activities of the popes at this time that supposedly made them such corrupt autocrats. You mention that Rome was perceived as a Babylon, which seems a bit of an extreme representation of the city. What exactly went on at that time that led to this classification?
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