The Heresy of Bishops

The diffusion of the Protestant doctrines merged in 16th century Italy with widespread aspirations for Church reform and spiritual concerns affecting even bishops, that is, the highest representatives of the local Church. Some of them, such as Pier Paolo Vergerio, Giacomo Nacchianti, Vittore Soranzo, Pietro Antonio di Capua, and Giovanni Grimani promoted multifarious religious experiences in their dioceses, ending up exiled or tried by the Inquisition. Consequently, from the mid-16th century onwards, Italian bishops were forced to behave, think and speak in a completely different way, so as not to be accused of heresy. This radical change had an impact on the role of bishops, on the way they conceived the reform of the Church, as well as on the very concept of heresy.