Sure it was.
There were highly placed individuals within the RCC who themselves wrote (in a joint letter to a pope) that the Church had been all but destroyed, in a sense, (by elements within the priesthood) themselves in that letter focusing merely upon the grotesque error of selling indulgences.
It can be argued that they did not go far enough in that letter, failing to delve into yet other considerations, but then again, one thing at a time I suppose --- and the letter which they wrote was subject to possibly facing opposition from others who had that pope's ear near to the same time. So they had to not put too much on the plate all at once, be circumspect, and take pains to not anger that 'pope' while including the then (by social conventions) prerequisite, smallish notes of groveling & flattering.
“Sure it was.”
No, it wasn’t - as you yourself here help prove:
“There were highly placed individuals within the RCC who themselves wrote (in a joint letter to a pope) that the Church had been all but destroyed, in a sense, (by elements within the priesthood) themselves in that letter focusing merely upon the grotesque error of selling indulgences.”
Except that never happened: The Church was not “all but destroyed” by the selling of indulgences or anything else. The view you apparently hold to is out of touch with reality. It’s a myth created by Protestants trying to rationalize their rebellion against the Church. All you have to do is actually read historical works to know this is the case. No one can read Eamon Duffy’s Stripping of the Altars and believe the myth of the “all but destroyed” Church. After all even Protestants commonly admit that the Catholic Church in that same century of time was founding universities, sending missionaries as far away as Japan, publishing great works, and seeing plenty of indisputable saints raised by God in the bosom of the Church. That’s not an “all but destroyed” Church. What you’re saying is rational. You need to read this; you probably won’t:https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.arts.sf.written/lxbX7oRpEeA%5B1-25%5D