The Counter-Reformation

World History - Libertyville HS

Three Areas of Reform

• Doctrine – a set of accepted beliefs of the Catholic faith

• Reforms of the Popes

• New religious order established

Doctrinal Changes• Council of Trent (1545)

– Bishops, cardinals reviewed Catholic doctrine

– Rejected any compromise with Protestant reformers

– Decisions of Council of Trent• Church interpretation of Bible is final• Need faith AND good works for

salvation (traditional interp.)• Bible and Church traditions are of

equal authority• Indulgences are ok BUT selling false

ones are banned• Seminaries were established, to

educate and train new priests

Reform Minded Popes

• Paul III (r. 1534-1549)– Limited indulgences– Approved Jesuit order

• Paul IV (r. 1555-1559)– “Index of Forbidden

Books” – burned books that were considered “dangerous” to Catholics• Mostly made up of

protestant texts– Re-constituted Inquisition

as anti-Protestant tool

Religious Order: Jesuits• “Society of Jesus”• Founder = Ignatius of

Loyola (Spanish – 1491-1556)– Founded Society in 1522– Wrote Spiritual Exercise:

day by day plan of meditation, prayer, study

– Very popular amongst regular Catholics

• 1540 – Pope made Jesuits an official religious order

Jesuit Order• Three primary activities– Founded schools in Europe to

educate Catholics• Jesuit-educated children of rulers

= loyal Catholic future ruler• Schools taught commoners, too

– Missionary work around world, converting non-Catholics

– Stopping the spread of Protestantism in Europe (“Soldiers of Christ”)

Successes of Jesuits• Rigorously trained and

educated members became confessors, teachers to monarchs and princes

• Were examples to the rest of the Catholic world as the best of the Catholic Church

• Helped stop the spread of Protestantism in Germany, Poland, Hungary , France

• Missionary work in New World, Asia converted millions (today, very Catholic areas)