Great article !
" .. The Reformation of 1517 triggered executions, torture, burnings at the stake and drownings, all done under the watchful eye of clergy... "
The atrocities committed by the Catholic Church precede the Reformation by many decades - earliest persecutions probably in Spain when the Moors were forced to either convert or leave. Such practices lasted until the Napoleonic wars - he released its last victims when he conquered Spain. Napoleon in fact confiscated the records of the Holy Office and archived them in France - until the Catholic Church purchased them back in order to prevent being published. My ancestors were expelled from Catholic southern Europe 1730s, forced to trek to the north westen most tip of Siberia - because they were Protestant. Even minor/trivial thought deviating from official dogma resulted in persecution.  Bishops formed part of the ruling secular elites -  the aristocratic government power structure. Burning at the "stake" truly creepy !!