How did Desiderius Erasmus criticize abuses in the medieval church?

Desiderius Erasmus, a prominent Dutch humanist, criticized the abuses of the medieval church by employing his mastery of language, satire, and philological study to challenge the pretenses of religious institutions.12

His primary methods of criticism included:

• Satire and Literary Commentary: In his famous work Praise of Folly, Erasmus used a "flight of fancy" to attack various social and religious institutions, exposing the complexities and hypocrisies he perceived within the church. He also utilized his Colloquia as a vehicle for social and ecclesiastical commentary, often highlighting the gap between genuine faith and the rigid, burdensome "ceremonies" imposed by the clergy.23
• Philological Analysis: Influenced by Lorenzo Valla, Erasmus applied critical philology to religious texts. By producing scholarly editions of the New Testament and the Church Fathers, he encouraged a historical-critical approach that bypassed the Scholastic traditions he viewed as corrupt or "barbaric".214
• Advocacy for Reform: Erasmus argued that the root of church division was not theology, but anticlericalism and the resentment of laws that the clergy made binding under the threat of hell. He privately urged church leaders, such as Pope Adrian VI, to ease these burdens—for instance, by allowing priests to marry—to foster reconciliation and restore the church's unity.3