Week Seven: The Key Issues for Religious Reform In this week’s paper I will be discussing the Popes power over the world, the evils done by the Roman Catholic Church that led to the Protestant Reform movement and how the Protestant Reform movement of the world was seen as a threat to the power of the Pope. Even though the Pope is just a pontiff of the Roman Catholic church (An Open Letter to The Christian Nobility.pdf) he is also seen as Peter’s vicar (John Hus On the Church.pdf) and that makes him the head of the Roman Catholic church. Martin Luther also goes on to talk about the power of the Pope as the head of the Roman Catholic church and that power gives the Pope the ability to distinguish between who is qualified to be clergy and who …show more content…
Even after the Western Roman Empire fell Catholicism still served as a source authority, later in 800 it was made a precedent that in order to be emperor you had to be crowned by the Pope (Lumen). Imagine being so powerful that it wouldn’t matter in the actions that you are taking and what you are saying because it would be seen as God’s will and not as an error on your behalf. That kind of kingdom-shaping power would have the ability to transform the way the world operates. Turner2 The protestant reform movement was formed because of the power of the Pope in the Roman Catholic church was unchecked and the Roman Catholic church’s hierarchy was not aligning with the light of God in their morality (An Open Letter to The Christian Nobility.pdf). The Popes unchecked power did not go without challenge but the response was the had the unquestionable power to decide what the scripture really means and no one but the Pope has the right or the power to call a council. Without a council, no man could bring light to the corruption that is taking place in the Roman Catholic