Why did Girolamo Savonarola criticize humanistic paganism during the Renaissance?

Girolamo Savonarola criticized humanistic paganism because he believed it was a source of profound moral and spiritual corruption in Italy. He viewed this influence as detrimental to the manners, art, poetry, and religion of the time.1

Savonarola’s opposition was rooted in his belief that this "blind wickedness" was spreading throughout society, a problem he attributed to the corruption of the clergy, even at the highest levels of the church hierarchy. His commitment to moral purity and his focus on the study of Scripture and the works of St. Thomas Aquinas drove him to reject the worldly values associated with the Renaissance, which he saw as incompatible with a truly Christian life. This stance eventually led him to organize campaigns against what he termed "vanities"—such as paintings, books, and elegant dresses—which he believed distracted from spiritual devotion.123