When the Catholic Church abused its power, the Reformation began. Martin Luther fought their wrongs and even though he was declared an outlaw, he didn't run. The Roman clergy went against their traditions and were obsessed with money and power. People like the bishops owned expensive houses and were married with children. They broke religious vows. Also priests weren't trained well. The Church went against morals and raised taxes to pay for the pope. Also, to raise more money, indulgences were sold so that a sin could be forgiven even though God alone had that power, causing people to resent the Church, and question it's judgement. Rulers opposed the Church's power, and fought against it, trying to get more political power than the pope. These issues weakened the Church.
7.9.1 Summary
There were many causes of turmoil that weakened the Catholic Church. Many Reformation leaders challenged the church. One was Martin Luther. Martin Luther fought against the church and their flaws. He was declared an outlaw by the church but he did not run, but he gained many followers. The priests, the bishops, and even the pope had broken their religious vows. They had become married and owned expensive houses. The church was against their morals too and so they raised their taxes for the pope. Indulges were also sold just so the pope could make more money. Indulges are pardon for sin. This caused even more people to rebel against the church. Then the rulers fought against the church trying to keep the pope from gaining political power. All of these issues weakened the Catholic Church greatly.
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