What were the two main complaints that the Protestants had about the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

Roman Catholic AnswerThere were numerous complaints about the Church, although truth be told, I do not think that the "complaints", as it were, were sufficient to touch off a reformation. I think that the world had gone away from the Church to a greater extent than ever before in history. Most especially, I believe that the rulers of the time were more concerned with their own temporal power than they were with their eternal salvation, and they certainly were not concerned with their people's salvation at all. The reformation in England was a prime example of this. Almost any serious study of the period leading up to the protestant revolt will concentrate on the political aspects. Nevertheless, there were very real problems within the Church itself, and these are the things which are most publicized by protestants and atheists today.

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Protestant Reformation: the revolt from the Catholic Church in Western Europe begun and carried to its height in the 16th century. It differed from all previous heretical movements in that it was not concerned with one or a few definite points of doctrine but was directed against the whole complex and system of Christianity as then understood; it gave licence to the human self in the spiritual and religious order. Its principal causes were: the excessive temporal power, wealth and privilege which accrued to the higher clergy, the wicked, worldly and careless lives of many of the clergy, secular and regular, and the decay of philosophy and theology (these resulted partly from the Renaissance) with consequent low standard of spiritual life among the people generally; the weakening of the authority of the Holy See, following the Great Schism, increased by the humanistic corruption of the papal court; the parallel insurgence of secular princes. Its principal motives were: desire for the purity of religion and godliness of life which, from the state of the clergy, precipitated a violent and unreasoning anti-clericalism which degenerated into contempt for all spiritual authority; the national ambitions of secular princes which flourished in the break-up of the Catholic integrity of Europe; an appetite for spoil and, as in England, fear of having to give up looted ecclesiastical wealth; in some, a hatred of the Church and Faith which can be attributed only to the direct working of the Devil. The principal results of the Reformation were: the true reform of the Church "in head and members" effected by the Council of Trent and the revivification of Catholicism so thoroughly achieved that it remains vital to this day (The Counter-reformation); the putting of countless souls, notably in Great Britain, Scandinavia and the German parts of the Empire, in enmity to the Church and consequently outside those means provided by Christ for man to know and attain to God; the disappearance of any "higher unity" holding together the diverse peoples and nations of Europe, the inoculation of men with naturalistic and humanitarian (as opposed to theocentric) philosophy which is now the chiefest enemy of Christianity.

Answer 2

The two major problems with the Catholic Church during the "reformation" were Martin Luther and King Henry VIII. The Church was unable to bring either man back to sanity, along with some other characters of the "reformation" known in Catholic history as the protestant revolt. Probably one of the most disastrous and long-lived heresies that the Church has had to deal with since Arianism.

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from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980 Reformation. A religious, social, and political upheaval (1517-1648) that divided Western Christendom and created world Protestantism. Its causes were manifold; weakening of papal authority through long residence in France and the worldliness of some popes; disloyalty to Rome of many bishops who were really temporal rulers; excessive reservation of ecclesiastical appointments to the Roman Curia; intellectual and moral unfitness of many priests; wealth of some of the monasteries and dissension in their ranks; superstition and ignorance among the laity; social unrest brought on by the disintegration of the feudal system; support given by political power to dissenters in the Church; unrest and secularism brought on by the new geographical discoveries; and the use of the printing press to propagate the new views. The effects of the Reformation have been far-reaching: Christian unity was shattered, personal liberty in religion affected every sphere of human activity, with the rise of the modern secular state, of capitalism as rugged individualism, and with the loss of the cultural solidarity, founded on a common faith, that had shaped Western civilization for almost a millennium.

Answer 3

When we think of the Reformation, we tend to think of Martin Luther and his objection to the sale of indulgences. Perhaps then we think of King Henry VIII and his problems of succession. However, these people were only symptoms of the underlying problems in the Catholic Church.

As stated in the Modern Catholic Dictionary, the worldliness of some popes, along with the weakening of papal authority, the moral unfitness of some priests and the unseemly wealth of some monasteries were all problems the Church had to face up to.

The German states and England were not the only nations to undergo a Reformation. Vivian Green (A New History of Christianity) says that the Catholic Church in France and Scotland were characterised by many abuses. He cites the corruption of morals and profane obscenity of life in churchmen of almost all ranks as one problem, and an ignorance of literature and all the liberal arts as another.

Answer 4

"tickets" to heaven, and relics