Victor R. Claveau, MJ
Sometimes called “The Protestant Revolt”, the Protestant Reformation resulted when the sword of Satan cleaved the Church of Jesus into many distinctive forms. The one common ground of the Protestant reformers was the total repudiation of papal supremacy.
Hilaire Belloc, in Volume IV of his History of England, states that the Reformation in England was just “loot” and “Graft’, which is most certainly true. However, he neglects to admit to the effective preaching of Hugh Latimer[1] and ex-Catholic priests. The ready acceptance of Lutheran doctrine by a minority of ill-instructed clergy and laity, made it easier to establish the reform.
Protestant historian, William Cobbett in his History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland, written between 1824-1827, stated:
“A fair and honest inquiry will teach us that this was an alteration greatly for the worse; that the ‘Reformation,’ as it is called, was engendered in lust, brought forth in hypocrisy and perfidy, and cherished and fed by plunder, devastation, and by rivers of innocent English and Irish blood; and that as to its more remote consequences, they are, some of them, now before us, in that misery, that beggary, that nakedness, that hunger, that everlasting wrangling and spite, which now stare us in the face, and stun our ears at every turn, and which the ‘Reformation’ has given us in exchange for the ease, and happiness, and harmony, and Christian charity, enjoyed so abundantly and for so many ages by our Catholic forefathers.”[2]
There is a lack of common agreement as to the causes of the Reformation, which was a series of historic events that may challenge our prejudices and needs to be studied. The historian cannot point to any specific incident which precipitated the Reformation in Great Britain, as many things contributed to the break-up of Christendom and the overthrow of the Catholic Church.
Christian Socialist, historian, and Catholic convert, Joseph Clayton writes:
“No one simple cause can explain the Reformation, for the course of events did not run smoothly. Many causes contributed to the break-up of Christendom and many things assisted the overthrow of the Catholic Church in Great Britain.
“One thing may surely be affirmed of the Reformation: It was a time of temptation to men and nations. And the history of the Reformation is the story of how men and nations fared under temptation; a story of failure and weakness, of heroism, of misdirected energy, of high courage and many sorrows. If we are moved to anger by the crimes committed at the Reformation, we are also moved to pity by the suffering endured. It was a time of temptation, a time that tried men’s souls. They were men and women like ourselves who in that time of temptation and tribulation, yielding or resisting, played their part to pass from judgments of earth to the mercy of God.”
“Another thing may be affirmed. The Reformation was a masculine business, the work of men, and of young men, not of women. Queen Elizabeth, indeed, was the political instrument for establishing the reformed religion of the Church of England, but Elizabeth displayed no zest for religion. Her piety was inconspicuous, her creed but vaguely formulated. Elizabeth renowned as a political ruler, is not exactly a heroine in the conflict of the Reformation.
“Sanctity, of course, is not the mark of the reformers. We look no more for sanctity—‘Godliness’ was their favorite word—in the leaders of the revolt, than we do for sweet reasonableness in the heat of battle. Had they been holy and humble of heart these Protestant reformers would never have accomplished the overthrow of the ‘old religion.’” [3]
Catholics should be cognizant of the many and varied heresies in our Church’s history. The Reformation was not just a blip in history, when a few bad men inspired by greed and moved by Satan to overthrow the true religion. Many Protestants regard the Reformation as a glorious work of the Almighty carried out by men of inspiration. Obviously, neither of these views is viable; both are caricatures of the truth.
[1] Hugh Latimer, (1485 – 1555), was an English Protestant who advanced the cause of the Reformation in England through his vigorous preaching and through the inspiration of his martyrdom.
[2] Cobbett, William. History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland, (New York: Benziger Brothers) 2002, p. 2-3.
[3] Clayton, Joseph, F. RrHist.S., The Protestant Reformation in Great Britain, (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company), 1934, p. xii.