Home > William Farel

Farel was a fiery preacher and an energetic critic of the Roman Catholic ChurchThe Roman Catholic Church (often called simply the Catholic Church, but see Catholicism for other meanings of the term "Catholic Church") is a worldwide body of Christians in full communion with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, and subscribing to the beliefs. In the earliest years of the Reformation in France, he was a pupil of the pro-reform Catholic priest, Jacques Lefevre d'EtaplesJacques Lefevre d'Etaples (c. 1450 1536) was a French theologian and humanist. Although he anticipated some ideas that were important to the Protestant Reformation, Lefevre remained a Roman Catholic throughout his life, and sought to reform the church wit. While working with Lefevre in Meaux, he came under the influence of Lutheran ideas and became an avid promoter of them. He was forced to flee to Switzerland because of controversy that was aroused by his writings against the use of images in Christian worship.