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Why was the Catholic Church so weak by 1780?
Member rating: No Rating | Words: | Submitted: Fri Jan 28 2005
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Why was the Catholic Church so weak by 1780? The Catholic Church emerging triumphant from the religious wars dominated the earlier part of the eighteenth century however by the end of the 18th century many argued it had become enfeebled due to a combination of internal divisions, rulers' desires for absolutism, nationalism and the popularity of the enlightenment. The age of external conflicts and religious wars was giving way, in this period to an era of toleration. De facto toleration was the principle in many Western European countries (for example in Frederick the Greats Prussia) and the less austere religion was losing its hold over Catholic Europe. The end of the religious wars meant that there was no longer any need to passionately defend Catholicism and no longer a desire to eradicate other religions. There was a greater degree of religious pluralism both within Catholicism and externally (i.e. the development...
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