What was the Counter-Reformation or Catholic Reformation of the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries? Why did it happen? Let us explore how the Catholic Church responded to the events of the Protestant Reformation and what it did to survive this Europe-wide crisis of faith.
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Sign up for freeWhat law allowed legal torture in a trial?
Which was NOT a new monastic order established during the Counter Reformation?
What did the reformed Catholic Church emphasize?
Did the Counter Reformation help the Catholic Church?
Who were considered "warriors of Christ"?
Who was the victor of the Reformation era?
What was the primary goal of the new monastic orders?
What was NOT something that the Protestants accused the Catholic Church of?
What law allowed legal torture in a trial?
Which was NOT a new monastic order established during the Counter Reformation?
What did the reformed Catholic Church emphasize?
Did the Counter Reformation help the Catholic Church?
Who were considered "warriors of Christ"?
Who was the victor of the Reformation era?
What was the primary goal of the new monastic orders?
What was NOT something that the Protestants accused the Catholic Church of?
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The Counter-Reformation was a Catholic reform movement responding to the Protestant Reformation, led by Popes and Kings such as Pope Paul III and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
One of the central arguments of the Protestant Reformation was that the Catholic Church was greedy, corrupt, and ignorant. Protestant propaganda spread throughout Europe and depicted images of Catholic priests who abused their power to feed their immoral lifestyles. For the Catholic Church to survive this attack, it needed to reform. Therefore, between 1524 and 1563, the Church made many changes in doctrine, practice, and administration, known as the Counter-Reformation.
One of the essential elements of the Counter-Reformation was the Council of Trent, which began in 1545 by Pope Paul III and ended in 1563 by Pope Pius IV. This forum of bishops from across Catholic Europe debated and set down the reforms that the Catholic Church would implement moving forward. Many Church laws established there are still part of the Catholic Church today.
Fig. 1 Council of Trent
A major element of Catholic reform is that it took a more individualized approach to faith for the first time instead of focusing exclusively on outward acts of faith. As a result, religion was becoming something internalized in addition to being a part of a community, and the Catholic Church adopted this new inward turn in its reform.
One reform element of the Catholic Church was to sanction new orders of monks and nuns to carry out Church reforms. The orders were primarily focused on emulating the life of Christ and performing good works. These orders included:
Fig. 2 Arrival of the Ursulines New Orleans 1727
Did you know?
Many Jesuit colleges still exist today. After the Europeans Wars of Religion, Jesuits focused on evangelizing indigenous people in territories controlled by European countries and on academic education in the humanistic tradition, even funding universities worldwide.
Fig. 3 Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits
From 1545 to 1563, many Catholic Church leaders met to determine what reforms the Catholic Church needed to fight against Protestant accusations. As a result, some reforms compromised Protestant teachings, such as acknowledging that both tradition and the written scriptures provide divine truth. However, they kept some Church elements the same despite Protestant opposition, such as insisting that good works could gain salvation.
The Council also outlined methods to combat corruption and ignorance in the clergy. Reforms included:
Bishops established schools in their regions to educate priests.
Bishops would now frequently visit churches under their authority to ensure there was no corruption.
Priests who broke their vows of celibacy and slept with women were rooted out.
Priests and Bishops who indulged too much in luxury were also removed.
Fig. 4 Logo for the Catechism of the Council of Trent
An effect of the Protestant Reformation on Catholic countries was the increase in the availability of Bibles in the vernacular. The Catholic Church believed that the Bible should be read in Latin, restricting access to educated clerics to preserve the mystery of faith. Protestants believed that one could only understand religion if they could read the words of God, and they printed Bibles in the common language or vernacular. During the Counter-Reformation, Catholics created a new version of their official Latin Bible, or Vulgate, and refused to recognize Bibles in any vernacular language.
The Inquisition was the more militant arm of the Catholic Church whose sole purpose was to root out heresy in Catholic lands. Spain and the Holy Roman Empire used the Inquisition the most, which is credited with keeping Protestantism suppressed throughout the Reformation.
The Carolina Code (1532): The Code, implemented by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, was a criminal law that determined how heresy trials would operate in the region. Torture was considered a legal way to get an accused heretic to confess. Any laws protecting the defendant were suspended if the crime was exceptional, as heresy was.
Laws like the Carolina Code opened the door for judicial proceedings against heretics and a rising devil-worshiping type of heretic known as a witch. People thought witches harmed the Christian community by poisoning livestock or causing injury or death to townspeople.
Fig. 5 An image of a witch and her familiar spirits
Inquisitors and witch hunters created chaos in the European countryside. They used torture to extract confessions and names of fellow witches because they believed witches did not act alone. The witch trials caused the deaths of thousands of women and men until finally ending in 1782.
The Counter-Reformation managed to keep the Catholic Church relevant to a new generation of faithful. Moreover, the Church remained strong in many areas of Europe, including Spain, France (after the Religious Wars ended), and many parts of the Holy Roman Empire. On the other hand, the Protestants had strongholds in England, Geneva, and parts of the Holy Roman Empire. Therefore, the Reformation was not a total victory for either the Protestants or the Catholics.
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What was the Counter Reformation?
The Counter Reformation was a reform movement of the Catholic Church in response to the Protestant Reformation.
What caused the Counter Reformation?
The Catholic Church needed to respond to the accusations of greed, corruption, and ignorance by the Protestant Reformation to survive in a changing Europe. The Counter Reformation was that response.
What was the purpose of the Counter Reformation?
The purpose of the Counter Reformation was to reform the Catholic Church in order to strengthen it and root out corruption.
When did the Counter Reformation begin?
Many historians associate the start date of the Counter Reformation with the beginning of the Council of Trent in 1545. However, Catholic reform efforts appear earlier with induction of new monastic houses beginning in 1524.
Why were the Anabaptists persecuted during the Counter Reformation?
The Anabaptists were persecuted by the Catholic Church because they disagreed about Church doctrine such as infant baptism. They also believed that the scriptures implied that all people were equal in both person and property, and so refused to pay taxes.
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