ABSTRACT
What had the Church done or left undone in the early sixteenth century to have fallen on to such hard times? The lack o f priests was undoubtedly an im portant factor; from Germany, Italy and England we hear that while in the past there was an abundance o f monks and priests, now there are none to be found. Moreover, this lack was
combined with the increasing remoteness o f bishops from their flocks. This was a complaint which had been made for centuries. M any bishops no longer resided in their dioceses, and some o f them held several large dioceses widely separated one from another. M oreover, the bishop had become primarily an administrative officer with more political than religious responsibilities. He acted as chancellor to princes, or within the Empire, and if his see was o f sufficient importance, was himself a prince. Absentee bishops were im portant as administrators in the papal court in Rome.
