Ordained by God, yet ruled by men, exposed the excesses profaned omnipotence can bring to those easily susceptible to the allure of power. The divine right of kings, was sanctioned by the perceived will and blessing of the Almighty through the Catholic Church. The Pope was conferred with for the validity of the King applicant and the right to reign in accordance to the will of God granted. It is here that the slippery slope to the absolute servitude to iniquity has its roots.
One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
To understand the vastness of the Church's reach throughout Western Europe; from the period of 590 AD through 1517, she dominated as overseer in all aspects of her subjects in religion, philosophy, morals, politics, the arts and education.
What had begun as the spreading of the belief of Christ as the Savior, slowly turned a side position within the amount of power Rome accumulated in the political realm of kingships and her sovereign authority over their mortal souls. This unrestricted control created the religious disillusions of a spiritual demise, and though culminating in Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, there were several prior who rebelled, including Saint Francis of Assisi.
Excommunication of Martin Luther
Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and a devote catholic, became disheartened, not by the doctrine of the Church, but the scale of abuses that were allowed and perpetrated by the Pope and subsequent clergy. His wrath was the greatest for the entanglement of God's free gift of grace in a complex system of indulgences and good works. He insisted that the Pope had no authority over purgatory and the veneration of saints had no foundation in the gospels.
Luther wanted an ethical and theological reform of the Church. Rome, outraged at his audacity to question its practices, threatened a trial for heresy and the ultimate weapon; excommunication. In 1521, the Papacy made good on its threat and consequently, Luther was put on trial and excommunicated. Yet, within the turmoil, there arose a redefining and reaffirmation of the doctrines of the Catholic Church.
The Catechism of Roman Catholicism
The first call for a general council was Luther himself to settle the differences with the Church. That meeting, requested in 1518, never transpired as a result of growing hostilities with Germany and Rome and various warring factions throughout Western Europe.
Finally, in 1545, the place was agreed upon, the topics to be discussed and the representation of countries and principalities were in accordance to convening. The main points regarding the specific purpose and the doctrine of authority for the teachings of the Catholic Church were reaffirmed. The accusations of corruption and the immoral conduct of the clergy were especially brought to the forefront and new codes were enacted to quell further abuses of power.
Pope Pius IV's Papal Bull
The Ecumenical Council of Trent adjourned on January 26, 1564. Pope Pius IV, the fifth pope involved in the almost twenty years of discussing the theological components, confirmed the council's decrees and those issued from the Catholic Church and the prior popes. His doctrine was published in his Bull; "Benedictus Deus" in 1564. These laws, reestablished, have guided the Church and Catholics for the last four hundred years.
Sources:
The Reformation and Counter Reformation: History-World.org
Council of Trent: NewAdvent.org
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