The wayward priest of Atondo: Clerical misbehavior, local community, and the limits of Tridentine reform

As bishops sought to introduce the decrees of the Council of Trent, they encountered mixed reactions and degrees of helpfulness from localities. In Navarre, parishes embraced certain aspects of reform, while rejecting others. As they utilized the expanded Tridentine-era diocesan courts, local communities effectively pushed for a vision of reform on their own terms. This article examines the process of local appropriation of reform by following the career of parish priest Don Pedro de Atondo who, over the course of a forty-year tenure, developed a reputation as divinely inspired healer, wandering conjurer, and violent neighbor. Though like diocesan reformers, the parish identified their priest's behavior as problematic and sought to enact correction, they did not always agree on the methods or urgency needed. The parish's involvement in reforming their priest shows the extent to which the success of Tridentine reform of the parish clergy depended upon local involvement and cooperation.