It wasn’t until the Bible was in the hands of the people that they saw how far the church had strayed from the teachings of the Christ. The corruption was horrendous. If Catholicism is all you have ever assumed Christianity to be, then I can only advise to do do your own research....outside of your church’s excuses for their past and even present behavior.
They people came to realise that original Christianity had no Pope, (Pontifex Maximus (“Pontiff”) was a title for the pagan Roman High Priest). Peter would never have sat on a golden throne, living in a gold inlaid palace with servants, and full of priceless treasures, whilst his brothers were living in abject poverty, which is the situation today as most Catholic people live in third world conditions. Such a notion would have been far from his mind, having lived with Jesus as a constant companion for three and a half years and living what Christianity was all about.
There was no earthly priesthood with distinctive garb, no nuns, no grand cathedrals, no monasteries, no repeated rituals, no holy water or incense, no confessionals with an equally sinful human granting absolution.
The images they used in worship were forbidden by God’s law and devotion to Mary was merely a continuation of ancient mother goddess worship.....there was so much that was wrong with Catholicism that no wonder Protestantism overwhelmed the church, who then lost its power over the liberated people. 1500 years of abuse has taken a huge toll on human life, and the right for people to choose how to worship God, according to scripture, not according to the church. But the Reformation came with its own problems. Catholicism had left a sad legacy, which some repeated, proving again that Christ “never knew” them. (Matthew 7:21-23) But the “wheat” though terribly outnumbered were still there, fighting for the truth and often paying with their lives....put to death by those who claimed Jesus as their “Lord”.