Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What church reforms did Erasmus suggest to Pope Adrian VI?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Erasmus
Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus.
In a private communication to Pope Adrian VI between 1522 and 1523, Erasmus suggested that the church could achieve reconciliation and ease the growing religious tensions by reducing the burdens placed upon the laity.1
Specifically, Erasmus proposed two key reforms to the Pope:
* Granting the chalice to the laity during communion.1
* Permitting priests to marry.1
Erasmus believed that the root of the schism was not primarily theological, but rather a result of anticlericalism and resentment toward the strict laws and ceremonies enforced by the clergy. By easing these requirements, he argued that the church could foster a sense of liberty, famously stating, "At the sweet name of liberty all things will revive."1