The Breakdown Of The Catholic Church During The Middle Ages

A weak root system can be the cause of a big tree being knocked down in a storm. Even if part of the tree is still standing, there will be large branches that have splintered away due to strong winds. This is what happened with the Catholic Church from the end of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance period. The breakdown of the Catholic Church was originally a disagreement over who had ultimate authority. Because of this game of who was top-dog, the Church neglected its foundational root system of the truth it was meant to be planted and growing in. The Renaissance period and Reformation were the results of a large structure that was beginning to topple over. The Catholic Church played a significant role in splintering itself apart by disregarding
Simony was essentially “the practice of selling church offices. This meant that a wealthy nobleman could buy his son a Bishop’s seat for when he came of age. This, of course, led to people filling church offices who had little concern for the spiritual well-being of the church.” This may have been one of the reasons why the Church continued to split apart as it did. The people who held offices may not have had a conviction to follow God except through mandatory traditions and rituals.
Indulgences were seen as a way to tap into “a surplus of grace leftover by people such as saints and martyrs. In its proper form, a person would be contrite for their sin, confess their sin, and then buy an indulgence as an act of penance.” This is another way that the Catholic Church strayed away from its original intent. The house of God was, and still is, meant to be a house of prayer. However, when people use the house of God as a way to increase the size of the money coffers, the church then becomes a den of thieves.

Attempts of Changing the
He had heard the opinions and teachings of John Wycliffe and ran with them. One of Hus’s more intense statements was, “No pope is the manifest and true successor of Peter, the prince of the apostles, if in morals he lives at variance with the principles of Peter and if he is avaricious, then is he the vicar of Judas, who loved the reward of iniquity and sold Jesus Christ.” At this point in history, most of the Popes and leaders of the Church had ended up trading “the truth of God for a lie.” A Pope that rules in err may think he is doing God’s work, but in actuality he is doing it for his own gain. As one may imagine, the words of John Hus did not sit well with the leaders of the Church