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The Sack of Rome shocked Italy and for many Italians, they associated Protestantism with terror and atrocities. Many Italians, while unhappy with the Papacy and the institutions of the Church, remained devoted to their own brand of Catholicism. In Italy, there had developed many variations of Catholicism, based on the worship of local saints and festivals. Local religion in Italy was often a mixture of Christianity and remnants of paganism. Many Italians were very much attached to their local variant of Catholicism and they had little time for the austere beliefs of Protestantism. Many ordinary Italians believed that the local rituals and rites catered to their spiritual needs.<ref> Caponetto, p. 134</ref>
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====State Support====
[[File: Inquisition 3.jpg |thumbnail|300px|left|Contemporary portrait of Martin Luther]]
Protestantism was also genuinely unpopular among many members of the elite and the ordinary people viewed it with suspicion because it was seen as a foreign creed. The Sack of Rome in 1527 shocked Italy and it reinforced among Italians the negative perceptions of the Reformation. Lutheranism was seen as barbaric and violent and the destruction of Rome confirmed that in their minds. Finally, despite the perceptions of widespread corruption, non-elites were happy with the form of Catholicism as practiced in their local community, which was often a mixture of paganism and Christianity and saw no reason to convert to a ‘foreign’ religion.
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