At Your Fingertips: A History of the Roman Catholic Church Until the Council of Trent

The Church in the Modern Era has been blessed with many Popes whose private lives have been truly saintly and genuinely inspiring. Unfortunately, this has not been consistently true throughout the two thousand year history of the Catholic Church. This volume details the dark as well as the light sides of the period known as the Renaissance. Most of the Popes during this time were extraordinary men who left their personal mark on the history of the culture of Europe. They were surrounded with magnificent beauty on the outside, though they were often in dire need of cleaning within. They were men who truly belonged to their historical times, most of whom do not stand out as spiritual leaders. They were rulers of the Papal States and religious sovereigns in competition with contemporary civil leaders. They were dedicated to making their beloved Rome not only the center of the Catholic Church but also the center of civilization. In doing so, the Church paid a heavy spiritual price whose results are still felt today. This book presents the reader with a taste of the historical setting and pontificates of those who led the Church from the time of Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) up to the time of Pope Clement VII (1523-1534), eventually culminating in the Council of Trent (1545-1564).