what were the causes for the weakening of the catholic church?

Answer 1

Sorry, I don't understand how you can make that assumption.

The Catholic Church remains the singularly wealthiest entity in the world today with over $3,000 Billion in assets.

For over 14 centuries, the Vatican was the undisputed wealthest single economic entity in the world.

The problem is that the Catholic Church hides its wealth behind tens of thousands of front companies, blind trusts, off shore accounts and other financial loopholes to both avoid tax and the revelation of its wealth.

Maybe that is the basis of your question- you can't see all their wealth?
See:
http://one-faith-of-god.org/final_testament/end_of_darkness/truth/truth_0030.htm

The Vatican is by far the largest holder of land titles for any organisation or government in the world with visible title to around US $316 Billion of property (churches, schools, hospitals etc) and around US $2,623 Billion of investment property hidden in an extremely complex networks of hundreds of thousands of trusts and front companies.

The current market property value of Vatican City, in the heart of Rome alone is worth between US $1 Billion and $3 Billion. This excludes the value of the priceless artworks and valuables stored within its walls.

The most valuable property holdings of the Catholic Church by nation is the United States with around $50 Billion in visible property holdings and around $507 Billion in hidden property holdings through a massively complex network of front companies and trusts.

While we may never know the true and staggering wealth of the church, two facts are certain: (1) The Catholic Church steadfastly refuses to be an open book to its global wealth and (2) has not shown the slightest interest in using its massive wealth to solve worl poverty and massive problems once and for all.

Answer 2

Depends on when you are talking about. If you mean historically, the first weakening of the church came from the Great Schism. The schism happened when the pope returned the college of cardinals from Avignon, France (where the Vatican court had set up to escape the plague) to Rome. He then died, and the Roman people demanded a Roman pope. The cardinals bowed to pressure, named an Italian pope, and then fled back to France where they immediatly anointed another pope. This created a real problem, since both popes claimed the other was an imposter and excommunicated them and all their followers.

Then a council was convened to try to resolve the problem, and they ended up anointing a third pope.

It all eventually got back to normal - one pope in Rome - but it left people all over Europe very disillusioned with the politics of the church. This opened the door for the new learning that became the Renaissance, which in turn led to the Reformation, which splintered the church forever.

If you're asking about more recent things.....the magdalene homes in Ireland, the pedophile scandals, the Vatican money-laundering, etc. Take your pick of things that served to weaken the church over the last few decades.

Answer 3

Are you speaking in reference to the Protestant Reformation, in which the Catholic church was broken apart by controversy over the sale of indulgences, or pardons for sins, given by priests for a price?The name Martin Luther (Lutheran Church) rings a bell as the person who led the reformation, splitting the Catholic Church apart into Protestant/Catholic.There were many abuses and misappropriation of the funds collected by the Catholic church by parishioners.The funds went to the high priests and government,while people starved in the streets.There were MANY abuses of power that led up to this reformation. That's all I got.Hope it was helpful.

Answer 4

Always too late and too unwieldy in responding to Protestantism, Enlightenment, Modernism, the labor movement, women's emancipation and the sexual revolution. The Second Vatican Council was too little and too late.

Answer 5

People turning away from God.

Answer 6

people began to question authority.....people began to think