It's clear rome operates as an institution and continues to form political allies today just as they did at that time....as if they were ‘a country’ unto itself...though I recognize it calls itself a state. Still one would then assume joining the catholic system is as if joining another country and allegiance to it.....
Additionally, I don't see a lot of difference between how it was then, regarding it's beliefs on anyone outside their organization, and as much how it sees itself operating in the world today....torture chambers aside. ........ Many threads on line, and as much discourse in public, reveals the same insistence that only thru their religious system can one find redemption in full.....and much anger ensues when this is questioned by those outside their institution.
To keep out the riff raff. I will include the /SARC tag, because I realize you are protestant.
Roman Catholics ceased to be a church and viewed themselves as a country (or state) in the Middle Ages. Arguably one could trace the start of this back to the fall of Rome in the 5th century and was accelerated in 1000AD when the Eastern Orthodox rebelled against the Catholic control.
The Roman Catholics didn't view themselves as an institution as much as a country. The Roman Catholic Church's goal was to become the "one" country in which all countries would pay tribute to them. This was not unlike the Soviet Union concept of satellite countries. They wrote books about this. They fought wars over it. They codified much of their theology around this purpose (e.g. Pope is the final word, one can only find grace through the Eucharist dispensed by the Church, people who don't belong to the Church are lost, etc.). They even had their own civil war and they have their own ambassador.
Today, thanks to God's intervention and faithful Protestants who risk all, the word of God has persevere. Much of the dogmas of the Church today are laughable if not downright offensive. Consequently 21st Century Catholics try to explain away these false teachings (e.g. "Catholic dogma doesn't mean what it states", "Protestants can be saved but the only way to receive grace is through the Eucharist", etc.) Catholic theology has become such a muddled mess that it is absolutely no wonder that they've turned to Mary for help. The end result of poor theology is idolatry.
Didn't anyone ever watch the 3 Musketeers? :O)