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Corruption in Catholic church
- a. spurred people to want reform
- i. Failure of popes to provide spiritual leadership affected spiritual life of Christendom
- 1. Papal court’s interest in finances and economic change affected clergy
- a. Highest clergy positions held by nobles or wealthy bourgeoisie
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To increase profits, what did high church officials do?
- high church officials held more than one office, called pluralismà absenteeism: church officeholders ignored their duties and hired unqualified underlingsà complaints
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Church adn ordinary people
- i. Salvation process= mechanical
- 1. many sought salvation through collecting relics
- 2. Others sought it through mystical movement called Modern Devotion, which downplayed religious dogma and stressed need to follow Jesus’ teachings
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Revival
- i. Revival of religious piety adhered to orthodox beliefs nad practices of Catholic Church
- 1. Agitation for certainty of salvation and spiritual peace occurred within framework of “holy mother Church.”
- a. Disillusionment grew as devout encountered clergy’s inability to meet their requests
- 2. Deepening of religious life found no answer through clergy
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a. Reforms
- i. Calls for reform from religious orders of Franciscans, Dominicans, and Augustinians who emphasized preaching to laypeople
- 1. Johannes Geiler of Kaisersberg denounced corruption of clergy
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Oratory of Divine Love
- i. Italy, 1497
- 1. Not religious order, but informal group of clergy and laymen who worked to foster reform through emphasis on personal spiritual development and acts of charity
- 2. “philosophy of Christ” appealed to them
- 3. Members included cardinals who wanted reform
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Cardinal Ximenes
- a. active in using Christian humanism to reform Church
- i. To foster spirituality among people, he had religious writings translated into Spanish
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