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Name ____________________________________________________________ Date ________________ Period _________ The Catholic (Counter) Reformation Terms to Know: Council of Trent Inquisition Jesuits The Catholic or Counter Reformation Erasmus and other humanists called for reform in the Catholic Church. To make matters worse, Martin Luther had led the Protestants to split from the Catholic Church. Perhaps the Church underestimated the humanists and Protestants, or perhaps the Church was in denial. Either way, the Catholic Church was slow to respond to this split in the Christian Church. The Catholic Response to the Protestant Reformation Leaders of the Catholic Church began to “counter” the protests that had erupted throughout Europe, specifically within the Holy Roman Empire. The Catholic response came in three major points. First, the Church (to some degree) accepted the criticism of the humanists and Lutherans, and returned to matters that were more spiritual. Although the Catholic Church did not abandon its rituals and ceremonies, it attempted to center them more to the Christian Message. Second, the leaders attempted to make the Catholic Doctrines more clear. The purpose and processes of the Christian faith became more defined. Third, the Catholic Church made a conscious and commanding decision to stop the further spread of Protestantism, if not end the movement all together. Why did the Church attempt to find an acceptable middle ground between both extremes? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Tactics of the Counter Reformation One of the most infamous methods used to stop the spread of Protestantism was the Inquisition. The Inquisition was a tribunal, or court hearing, to suppress heresy. These heresy trials began in Spain, a strongly devote Catholic state, and eventually grew in popularity among the Catholic communities. More often than not, those who went in front of the Inquisition received some form of punishment. Punishments varied depending on the severity of the heresy, one’s willingness to confess, or simply the mood the church officials hearing the case. Sometimes 1 it was a simple punishment of public mockery, and other times it was more serious like jail time, torture, or even death. Unlike trials here in the modern United States, the accused was not innocent until proven guilty. Often times, victims of the Inquisition were burdened with the responsibility of proving themselves innocent. Furthermore, word-of-mouth, or hearsay, was sufficient evidence to find a person guilty of heresy. What is the legacy of the Inquisition? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Other Counter Reformation Tactics Besides the Inquisition, the Catholic Church tried to find other ways to stop the spread of the Protestant movement. Much to the dismay of the Church, Gutenberg’s printing press had made Luther’s criticism and “heretic” statements more readily available. Due to the fact that the 95 Thesis was printed in German, the Protestant ideas were very difficult to contain. Therefore, in an effort to prevent further growth of the Reformation, the Catholic Church printed the Index of Forbidden Books. This list of books and other printed documents was distributed throughout Europe. Some of the works on the Index of Forbidden Books was not from Protestant Reformers. The listed of banned books included scientists and humanists, such as Galileo. This was a catch22 for the Catholic Church. Because of the success of the printing press, the Protestant Movement grew into an international movement, instead of staying contained within Germany. However, when the Catholic Church tried to ban and burn the published documents, the printing press made it easy to make duplicates to prevent the deletion of Reformation thoughts. In essence, the Catholic Church could not stop the Reformation, only try to persuade those “lost souls” to return to the Church. In your own words, explain why the Index of Forbidden Books was ineffective. __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ The Council of Trent The Catholic Church decided that it needed to clarify is doctrine. If the initial reason for this Protestant movement was criticism against ritual and doctrine, then that is where the Church needed to begin its own reformation. Major Roman Catholic Church officials met in the Italian city-state of Trent (that is how it became known as the Council of Trent). The Church decided to end the use of indulgences. It agreed to its abuse and forbid the clergy to issue more Indulgences. In addition, those clergy members who abused their position (politically, economically, socially, and morally) were reprimanded. Even though the Council of Trent agreed to some of the criticisms of the Protestants, it stuck to its guns about other issues. For example, it reaffirmed that the ceremonies and rituals were a vital and significant portion of the faith. A certain amount of obedience and ritual kept a person humble to his/her creator, and the Church refused to excuse such aspects of the Catholicism. Furthermore, the Council reaffirmed the need for priests. Luther and his followers argued that the only thing a person needed to develop one’s faith was a Bible. The Church, however, insisted that the clergy could best interpret and express the true intentions of Scripture and God. Why would the Catholic Church agree to some of the criticisms and not others? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ What is the significance of the principles the Church reaffirmed? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Legacy of the Council of Trent The Council of Trent was somewhat effective within Catholicism. Many Catholics and a few Protestants found the ceremonies comforting, and they appreciated the Church reaffirming 2 their significance. Because of Catholics renewed strength in the doctrine of their faith, there was a higher level of respect for priests, and more money was dedicated specifically for the beautification of the churches. Whereas Martin Luther preached about salvation through faith alone, the Catholic Church insisted that salvation was achieved through good works (such as the rituals and charity). Why was the Council of Trent monumental for the Catholic Church? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Leaders of the Counter-Reformation Another tactic for the Catholic Church was to invest in a good reputation. Ignatius de Loyola, an extremely devout Catholic monk began the Society of Jesus, a.k.a. the Jesuits. The Jesuits lived their lives by the Catholic code that one achieved salvation by good works. The strict vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience to the Pope dictated their lives. The Pope often used the Jesuits to spread Catholicism. The Jesuits were often used as missionaries in China, Japan, and other parts of eastern Asia. The popularity and success of the Society of Jesus did, in fact, slow the spread of Protestantism. Jesuits stressed education and founded universities, which the humanists appreciated. How did the Jesuits strengthen Europe more than just spiritually? __________________________________________________________________________________ Results of the Religious Upheaval Religious reform on both sides did not bring tolerance to either Catholics or Protestants. Many wars broke out between them until 1648. Even within the Protestant groups, many sects and denominations developed. However, there were some very positive side effects of the religious troubles. The Reformation created a renewed interest in education, which inspired and encouraged humanism. Because of the Gutenberg Bible, more people had access to a text in their native language, which increased the number of people who could read (but just because people could read, did not mean that they were more tolerant of other groups). In addition, the Reformation increased the power of the separate governments and decreased the power of the Pope. Protestant rulers took over leadership of their churches in some areas (such as England). Some Catholic rulers remained somewhat loyal to the Pope, but it would never be like the absolute authority of the Catholic Church prior to the Reformation. 3