CHALLENGE

and

REFORMATION

1400-1600

• Protestant Reformation:

a religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches

• This was a time of great changes in the Church

–Many powerful forces came together, challenging previously held ideas and beliefs

• In the Fourteenth Century, a French pope (Clement V) moved to Avignon, France

• Seven popes remained in France, under the rule of the French king, for almost 70 years

• This time is known as the Avignon Papacy

• This was a problem because the Church was meant to be universal (catholic), not tied to one country’s rule

• St. Catherine of Siena wrote many letters and visited the pope, Pope Gregory XI, in France.

– She persuaded him to return to Rome in 1377

• Soon after, in 1378, there were two men claiming to be pope

• The Church was split

• This internal division in

the Church is called

the Great Western Schism

• The Black Plague (aka Black Death) took a toll on the Church in the Fourteenth Century.

• The disease claimed one-third of Europe’s population

The Renaissance

(16th Century)

• The word “Renaissance” means “rebirth”

• This was a time of renewed interest in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome

- This was reflected in education, art and literature

The Last Supper c. 1494

Leonardo da Vinci

The Pieta c. 1498

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Raphael da UrbinoThe Sistine Madonna c. 1512

Donato di Betto Bardi (Donatello)

St. Mark c. 1411

• New ideas spread quickly

due to the invention of the

printing press

(c. 1450 by Johannes Gutenburg)

• Kings wanted power over the Church

• People began to challenge the leaders and teachings of the Church

• Some Church leaders took advantage of the people by encouraging the selling of indulgences

• Martin Luther was a monk,

and a professor of Theology

in Germany

– Luther’s beliefs differed from the Church’s

– The Church stressed faith and good works, scripture and tradition

– Luther felt that scripture alone should guide us, and faith alone would save us

* Luther did not accept the teaching authority of the Church

• He also felt that there were certain wrongs in the Church

* In 1517, Luther posted a list of 95 objections about serious abuses and questionable practices in the Church

• Luther was excommunicated by the pope

– Excommunication means that a person is completely separated from the Church

–People who followed Luther soon formed the Lutheran Church

• Division in the Church spread quickly

• John Calvin formed what became the Presbyterian Church

• King Henry VIII of England had a disagreement with the pope, who would not allow him an annulment from his wife, who had not given him any male heirs

• The king formed the Anglican Church (the Church of England), and put to death anyone who did not acknowledge him as the head of the Church.

• In the US, the Church of England is called the Episcopal Church

• The appearance of these separate churches is called the Protestant Reformation

• The Council of Trent was an Ecumenical Councilof the Catholic Church.

• Convened by Pope Paul III

• It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It took place in Trento, Italy, between December 1545 and December 1563

- The council answered many Protestant disputes

The Council of Trent:

–1545 – 1563

–Brought reform to the Catholic Church

– Formalized the Roman catechism

– Explained Catholic beliefs and traditions

– Stressed belief in the sacraments

–Deepened devotion to the Mass

–Affirmed which books to include in the bible (a process begun in 367AD by Athanasius)

SAINTS OF THE TIME

St. Catherine of Siena worked to bring the papacy back to Rome (April 29)

St. Charles Borromeo –

established seminaries

to educate priests (Nov. 4)

• St. Theresa of Avila – reformed her community of Carmelite Sisters – mystic and Doctor of the Church (Oct. 15)

St. Thomas More – defended

the truths of the faith in

England and went against

King Henry VIII (June 22)

St. Ignatius of Loyola –Founded the Jesuits (Society of Jesus); this order taught, wrote, and advised kings and popes. (July 31)

St. Francis Xavier – A Jesuit missionary who brought the gospel to India and Japan (Dec. 3)

St. Peter Claver – A

Jesuit missionary who

brought food and comfort

to African slaves in

South America (Sept. 8)