How the Mighty Roman Church Ended up with No Political Power
Once upon a time, the Church in Rome had mighty armies and wielded massive political power. Today, it's confined to its enclave in the Vatican, and has virtually no political clout at all. When did that happen, and why?
Well, it lost control over Kings, for one thing. They gained new power, due to economic changes, and bristled at the Church dictating to them. Old King Henry VIII wanted to divorce and remarry in the 16th century. The Pope said no. So, Henry tossed the Catholics out and started the Church of England. It worked just the same, but didn't answer to the Pope. The church was helpless to do anything about it, by that time. The die was cast. There was also old Martin Luther, who successfully challenged the Pope in Rome in the 16th century and shifted power in Europe to his and other new denominations.
The world changed on an accelerated basis. The Renaissance was the beginning of the end for the Roman Catholic Church as a political force. The 16th through 18th Centuries saw a new economic reality, a redistribution of wealth, and finally revolutions that finished off the job.
So, today, the Roman Catholic Church rules only in the Vatican enclave in Rome. It still wields some social power, but is no longer a political force. After that loss of power, Christianity quickly began its path of splintering into thousands of sectarian denominations, dividing itself into smaller and smaller divisions. Today, the label, Christian, is harder and harder to apply accurately, due to that sectarianism.
What's next? Well, that's for future generations to include in their history books. But, there's no going backward with regard to political power for the RCC. It's becoming more and more irrelevant in the world's politics and economies.
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