As the middle class gained wealth and education, Renaissance society grew less spiritual and more materialistic. This attitude eventually was reflected in the Catholic Church. Increasingly, a variety of religious practices seemed designed to accumulate wealth and property rather than strengthen spiritual values. As historian Malcolm Vale points out: "In a society which was developing a profit economy,... the carrying out of Christ's injunctions... concerning [the desirability of] poverty was more difficult to implement."

Missals and Indulgences

Christianity had been the dominant religion in Europe for a thousand years, hugely influential at all levels of society. Kings and commoners alike were subject to the supreme moral and spiritual authority of the church, centered in the pope in Rome. Legions of the faithful supported its activities, from housing local clergy to conducting massive...