If Cologne remained true to the Catholic cause the merit is principally due to the provincial of the Carmelites. As the leader of the lower clergy he protested against the heretical tendencies of Archbishop Hermann von Wied, who since 1536 had favoured the Reformers.
The statement highlights that Cologne's success was largely due to the opposition of the Carmelites' provincial against Archbishop Hermann von Wied, who had supported the Reformation since 1536.