The Counter-Reformation was a reaction by the Catholic Church against the Protestant Reformation. It began in the 16th century and aimed both to reform the Catholic Church and counter the spread of Protestantism. The Jesuits played a key role in the Counter-Reformation through education. Pope Paul III convened the Council of Trent in 1545, which enacted reforms to address issues like corruption and clarify Catholic doctrine. The Inquisition was established in 1542 to combat heresy and control religious doctrine and practice. The Counter-Reformation achieved victories like restoring Catholic domination in Poland and Bohemia.
2. Counter-Reformation, also called
Catholic Reformation or Catholic Revival, in
the history of Christianity, the Roman
Catholic efforts directed in the 16th and
early 17th centuries both against the
Protestant Reformation and toward internal
renewal.
3. The Counter-Reformation took place during
roughly the same period as the
Protestant Reformation, actually (according
to some sources) beginning shortly
before Martin Luther’s act of nailing
the Ninety-five Theses to the door of Castle
Church in 1517.
4.
5. What was the Counter-Reformation of the
Roman Catholic Church?
How were the Jesuits important in the
Counter-Reformation?
Was the Counter-Reformation successful?
6. Early calls for reform grew out of criticism of
the worldly attitudes and policies of
the Renaissance popes and many of the
clergy.
New religious orders and other groups were
founded to effect a religious renewal—e.g.,
the Theatines, the Capuchins, the Ursulines,
and especially the Jesuits.
7. Later in the century, St. John of the
Cross and St. Teresa of Ávila promoted the
reform of the Carmelite order and influenced
the development of the mystical tradition.
St. Francis of Sales had a similar influence
on the devotional life of the laity.
8. There was little significant papal reaction to
the Protestants or to demands for reform
from within the Roman Catholic
Church before mid-century.
Pope Paul III (reigned 1534–49) is considered
to be the first pope of the Counter-
Reformation. It was he who in
1545 convened the Council of Trent.
9. The council, which met intermittently until
1563, responded emphatically to the issues
at hand.
Its doctrinal teaching was a reaction against
the Lutheran emphasis on the role of faith
and God’s grace and against Protestant
teaching on the number and nature of
the sacraments.
Disciplinary reforms attacked the corruption
of the clergy.
10. There was an attempt to regulate the
training of candidates for the priesthood;
measures were taken against luxurious living
on the part of the clergy, the appointment of
relatives to church office, and the absence
of bishops from their dioceses.
11.
12. The Roman Inquisition, an agency established
in 1542 to combat heresy, was more
successful in controlling doctrine and
practice than similar bodies in those
countries where Protestant princes had more
power than the Roman Catholic Church.
13. Political and military involvement directed
against Protestant growth is most clearly
reflected in the policies of Emperor
Charles V and in those of his son Philip II, who
was associated with the Spanish Inquisition.
14.
15. The Wars of Religion between 1562 and 1598
regained France for the Roman Catholic
cause, though the Edict of Nantes (1598)
granted a limited toleration to the
Protestants; it was revoked in 1685.
16. Perhaps the most complete victory for the
Counter-Reformation was the restoration of
Roman Catholic domination in Poland and
in Hussite Bohemia.
17.
18. The Protestant group gained strength by spreading
very rapidly. Alarmed by this development, the
Catholics saw the necessity of selfreformation to
protect their image.
The arguments of Protestants were effective in
attracting the attention of the people. This incident
dealt a severe blow to the existence and survival of
the Roman church.
They had to do something to protect the interests
of churches. Such a necessity gave birth to a
movement called Counter-reformation.
Stopping the advance of Protestants and repairing
the damage to Roman churches were the objectives
of this movement.
19. Hence, an attempt was made to find a suitable solution
to all the problems by making internal changes in the
church.
The leader of this counter reformation was the Spanish
aristocrat called Ignatius Loyola. He founded the Jesus
society in the year 1540. Their main aim was to restore
the glory and authority of Roman Catholic church.
The main objective was to impart good education to the
followers of this organization and make them to dedicate
their lives for the service of society. “Inquisition”, a
religious practice of interrogating those who violated the
dictates of the church and punishing them, came into
existence from 1542 onwards.
It also stopped the Catholics from getting converted into
Protestants.
