ABSTRACT
The penitential process as taught and practiced in the late medieval period was to be severely criticized by the Protestant reformers of the sixteenth century as well as passionately reasserted by Catholics. While Protestants asserted that its theology failed to appreciate both human inability to contribute to justification and the depth of divine grace, Catholics maintained that humans must be trained in virtuous habits and contribute toward their ultimate salvation. Protestants labeled the penitential process as an oppressive and intrusive practice that schooled folk in sin, doing little to relieve their consciences. Protestants claimed that the sinner could never be confident of forgiveness in the Catholic system; he was always troubled by doubts about whether he had done what was expected to the best of his ability. The penitential ideas must be considered, along with other regional factors such as political forces and institutional influence, in assessing the outcome of the Reformation.
