In this 9-part series, Fr. Dwight Longenecker examines the conflicts of the 16th century through its main players. Each article connects contemporary Church life, showing the origin of the Protestant denominations and the challenges we…

by Fr. Dwight Longenecker At the beginning of the 16th century, the kingdoms in Spain were at war. A young nobleman named Inigo Lopez de Loyola was excited by the romance and bravery of battle. Longing to do great deeds, he played…

By Fr. Dwight Longernecker Very few historical figures have been as hated and admired as England’s Queen Elizabeth I. On the one hand, she is por­trayed as “Gloriana” — Good Queen Bess or the “Virgin Queen.” She is the noble and virtuous…

Five hundred years ago, the Church and the world plum­meted into crisis. The Protes­tant Revolution split Europe into warring factions. In the wake of Martin Luther’s preaching, Germany erupted in a revolt among the peasants that…

By Fr. Dwight Longenecker high drama of King Henry VIII’s love life has provided material for a seemingly end­less stream of books, novels, films, and television series. Henry VIII’s six marriages were swept up in the hurricane of…

By Fr. Dwight Longenecker By the middle of the sixteenth century Catholics in Europe must have thought the entire world was falling apart. Nations that had been Catholic for a thousand years had broken away from the Church. Protestants and…

By Fr. Dwight Longenecker By the middle of the sixteenth century Europe was torn apart by the religious divisions caused by the Protestant Reform. Religion and politics were tangled in a web of power politics, family dynamics, personal…

Did Jesus really rise from the dead — or was it just a lovely story devised by his disciples to keep his teachings alive?  St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:17). If it…

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third part of a nine-part series in which Fr. Dwight Longenecker examines the conflicts of the 16th century through its main players. Each article connects with contemporary Church life, showing the origin of the…

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second part of a nine-part series in which Fr. Dwight Longenecker examines the conflicts of the 16th century through its main players. Each article connects with contemporary Church life, showing the origin of the…