1THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION

1.

2.

The Catholic Reformation had two phases.

a.
The first phase took place before 1517. By that year
Protestantisms grow in central Europe had become a threat to
the thousand year unity of Catholic Europe. Before Luther,
Church leaders were open to wide ranging proposals for reform.
Much of these reform efforts focused on spiritual renewal and a
simpler more personal connection with God. Most of the abuses
cited by Protestant and secular critics were also in the process of
being addressed.
b.

The second phase was the Churchs reaction to Martin Luther and
other Protestant leaders. Church and political leaders feared the
consequences of Protestantisms rapid spread in central Europe.
Consequently, the range of reform efforts greatly narrowed.
Much of what had been considered legitimate criticism now
became associated with Protestantism and those reform leaders
had to abandon their efforts. Complicating Romes reaction was a
series of weak Popes and thus the Church leadership responded
poorly to the new challenges.

c.

One point worth emphasizing is that the quality and quantity of

historical scholarship on early modern Catholicism remains
lacking. What recent scholarship has made immediately apparent
is the diversity and complexity of early modern Catholicism. We
still dont much about what Catholicism was like during this time.
Scholars are only now appreciating that Catholicism was just as
diverse and complex and Reformation Protestantism.

Catholic Reform efforts were largely tied to the Council of Trent. The
Council of Trent was actually a series of meetings held in Trent Italy
between 1545 and 1563. Before the first meeting convened, its main
goals were not only to reform the Church but also to secure a
reconciliation with Protestantism.
a.

By the time the first council convened, however, religious

reconciliation had already become impossible. International
politics interfered with theological debates. Neither northern
European political leaders nor Henry II of France allowed their
bishops to attend.

b.

3.

4.

Moreover, most of the important Catholic theologians at the first

meeting were in no mood to make any compromises with
Protestantism. Much of the Church hierarchy believed that they
were losing the battle with Protestantism. Catholic leaders also
strongly disagreed about the Popes power. Some important
theologians wanted the council to have power over the Pope. The
Popes during the meetings refused believing that turning over
too much power to the council would divide the Church. The
council was further split internationally. Spanish and Portuguese
clerics saw Italian leaders less willing to make the difficult
reforms that they sought. Those differences grew more acute
after Charles V invaded Italy and occupied Rome.

Trent certainly produced significant reforms but few really occurred

immediately.
a.

The major reforms were as follows:

i.
Ecclesiastical discipline was strengthen
ii.
Indulgences could no longer be sold
iii.
Bishops now had to remain in their diocese
iv.
Bishops now had more power over the local clergy
v.
Seminaries were established to train clergy
vi.
Preferences were given to the poor
vii. The basis was laid for spiritual renewal
viii. Womens role in the Church was clarified and narrowed.

b.

On the other hand, the pace of reform depended upon individual

Popes. Some put reform as their major goal. Other popes,
however, put reforms on the back burner in favor of focusing on
more immediate political challenges. Moreover, the Council made
no mention of the Popes authority which was one of the major
issues for Protestants

c.

Finally, one negative consequence of Trent was that the Pope

was increasingly seen as an Italian leader as opposed to the
universal leader of the Church. One hundred and eighty seven
out of the two hundred and twenty or so delegates were Italian.
Not until John Paul II became pope in 1978 did a non Italian
enjoy the office.

The Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries saw the appearance of new

religious orders. In general, it was these new religious orders that led
reform efforts. But we must be careful to note that they were not
simply a reaction to the Reformation but instead developed out of the

Churchs own spiritual renewal. They raised the moral and intellectual
level of the clergy and the Catholic faithful.

5.

6.

a.

The Society of Jesus was the most important of the new orders.
Under the leadership of its founder, Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556),
the Jesuits reformed the Church through their educational
mission. The Society grew with astonishing speed in both its
membership and the number of its schools and colleges. The
Jesuits achieved great prestige and political influence owing to
the high quality of its members. Noble men and women often
took Jesuits as their confessors and spiritual directors.
i.
Despite their success, or in large part because of their
rapid growth, the Society was and remains Catholicisms
most controversial religious order. That controversy stems
primarily because they represent the intellectual wing of
the Catholic Church, championing intellectual pursuits of all
varieties, including science. Also, their organization and
rules placed them apart from every other traditional
religious order.

b.

Other religious orders, such as the Ursuline nuns focused on

educating women, while new male religious orders worked with
the poor, the sick, and preached to lay audiences in towns and in
the countryside.

The Inquisition remains the most notorious aspect of the Catholic

reformation. It is essential to emphasize that the Roman Inquisition
was quite different than the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition. The
latter were under the control of the Spanish and Portuguese kings and
thus independent of the Vatican.
a.

The Roman Inquisition was only effective inside the Papal state.
It produced the index of prohibited books which was far less
successful than popular legend give it. In general, most rulers
had their own effective means of maintaining religious and
political orthodoxy. Nor did the Inquisition kill intellectual life.
The sciences and liberal arts flourished in Catholic Europe,
especially at Jesuit institutions

b.

Finally, its important to note that the Inquisition killed far fewer
people than the witch trials in Protestant Europe.

CONCLUSION

a.

With the Reformation, the West began to fragment both

religiously and politically. Religious convictions were bound to
political fragmentation and both Protestantism and Roman
Catholicism profoundly influences the growth of the modern
nation state

b.

Neither the Catholic nor the Protestant West were tolerant

toward other religions.

c.

But after 1555 Protestantism had become firmly establish in

parts of the West and that fact was acknowledged by Catholic
leaders.

d.

Religious diversity laid the basis for political as well as religious

tolerance. The Protestant Reformation further laid the basis for
the modern secular world as well as for the eighteenth century
Enlightenment revolt from Christianity.