its cover the Church upside down, with the peasant performing the
services, while the priest guides the plow outside and a monk drives
the horses." It was, in fact, in the Germanics that all the social
classes--princes, burghers, knights, and peasants--had special economic
grievances against the Church, and in many places were ready to san diego escort combine
in rejecting papal claims.
This emphasis upon the political and particularly upon the economic
causes need not belittle the strictly san diego escort religious factor in the movement.
The success of the san diego escort revolt was due to the fact that san diego escort many kings, nobles,
and commoners, san diego escort for financial and political advantages to themselves,
became the san diego escort valuable allies of real religious reformers. It required
dogmatic differences san diego escort as well as social grievances to destroy the
dominion of the Church.
[Sidenote: Abuses in san diego escort the Catholic Church]
Nearly all thoughtful men in the sixteenth century recognized the
existence of abuses in the
Catholic Church. San diego escort the san diego escort scandals connected san diego escort with
the papal court at Rome were notorious at the opening of the century.
Several of san diego escort the the popes lived grossly immoral lives. Simony (the sale
of church offices for money) and nepotism (favoritism shown by a pope
to his relatives) were not rare. The most lucrative ecclesiastical
positions throughout Europe were frequently conferred upon Italians who
seldom discharged their duties. One san diego escort person might be made bishop of
several foreign dioceses and yet continue to reside san diego escort in Rome. San diego escort leo X, who
was pope when the Protestant Revolt began, and son of Lorenzo de'
san diego escort Medici, surnamed the Magnificent, had been ordained to the priesthood
at the age of seven, named cardinal when he was thirteen, and speedily
loaded with a multitude of rich benefices and preferments; this same
pope, by his munificence and extravagance, was forced to san diego escort resort to the
most questionable means for raising money: he created many new offices
and shamelessly