Download The Catholic Counter Reformation

Counter Reformation
World History/Napp
“The Protestant Reformation seriously weakened the power of the Roman Catholic
Church. As Protestantism became more popular, the Roman Catholic Church lost
practitioners, income, and land. In England, Henry VIII challenged the Pope and
became the head of the Church of England in 1534. By the mid-1500s, the Roman
Catholic Church began its own reform – the Counter Reformation. During the
Counter Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church decided to reform itself. It
decided to counter, or fight against, Protestant beliefs.
In 1545, the Roman Catholic Church called for a council of church officials to meet
at the German city of Trent. This council lasted 18 years. It wrote down the most
important beliefs of the Catholic Church and stopped the sale of indulgences.
However, it disagreed with Luther. The council said that people found salvation
only through the Roman Catholic Church. The council also said that people had to
go to church and do good deeds to be saved and had to accept the Pope as the only
leader of the Christian Church. Finally, Catholics had to agree with the Church’s
interpretation of the Bible.
In addition to the Council of Trent, the Inquisition was established. It was a
special court that inquired into people’s religious beliefs. If the person was found
guilty of heresy or believing in ideas that differed from the Roman Catholic Church,
the person could be tortured or even executed. The Inquisition frightened people in
Catholic countries and led to fewer dissenters. The Pope also began to censor books
by telling people which books they could read.
Finally, a new religious order was founded by Ignatius of Loyola. The Jesuits were
dedicated to spreading the Catholic faith to non-Christians in Africa, Asia, and
North and South America.” ~ World History
1- Why did the Protestant Reformation weaken the power of the Roman Catholic
Church?
2- How did Henry VIII challenge the Pope?
3- What was the Counter Reformation?
4- What happened at the German city of Trent?
5- What Catholic beliefs did Catholic officials reaffirm in Trent?
6- What was the Inquisition and why were Catholics frightened of it?
7- How did Ignatius of Loyola help the Catholic Church?
8- Summarize the key differences between Protestants and Catholics.
- Why did Henry VIII withdraw his support of the Roman Catholic Church?
- How did Henry VIII’s separation from the Roman Catholic Church differ from
Martin Luther’s separation from the church?
Word Bank:
Inquisition, Martin Luther, Faith, Pope, Council of Trent, Gutenberg, Counter
Reformation, Protestants, Indulgences, Henry VIII, Jesuits
Identify the following terms:
Martin Luther
Henry VIII
Inquisition
Indulgences
Protestant Reformation
Council of Trent
Ninety-Five Thesis
Counter Reformation
Ignatius Loyola
Which factor helped most to bring about
the Protestant Reformation?
1. The Catholic clergy had lost faith
in their religion.
2. Islam was attracting many
converts in western Europe.
3. Kings and princes in northern
Europe resented the power of the
Catholic Church.
4. The exploration of the Americas
led to the introduction of new
religious ideas.
The religious diversity in Western
Europe is mainly the result of
1. the Congress of Vienna
2. World War II
3. the French Revolution
4. the Protestant Reformation
In Western Europe, a major immediate
effect of the Reformation was a
1. renewed domination of the
Catholic Church over the
German states
2. greater tolerance of religions
other than Christianity
3. decrease in educational
opportunities for the middle class
4. decline in religious unity and in
the power of the Catholic Church
Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses were
a call for
1. religious revolt against the
German princes
2. reforms within the Roman
Catholic Church
3. greater Papal authority
4. crusades to spread Christianity
Which action could be considered an
effect of the Protestant Reformation?
1. posting of the Ninety-five Theses
2. decline in the power of the
Roman Catholic Church
3. sale of indulgences
4. end of religious warfare
In the early 1500s, Martin Luther’s
“Ninety-five Theses,” Henry VIII’s “Act
of Supremacy,” and John Calvin’s
Institutes of the Christian Religion
contributed to
1. a decline in the power of the
Catholic Church
2. an increased sense of nationalism
in Tudor England
3. the growing power of the feudal
nobility in Europe
4. a major conflict among Eastern
Orthodox Christians
Which innovation had the greatest
impact on the Protestant Reformation?
1. movable-type printing press
2. Mercator map projection
3. magnetic compass
4. triangular sail
“…Therefore those preachers of
indulgences are in error, who say that by
the pope’s indulgences a man is freed
from every penalty, and saved;”
— Martin Luther
Which period in European history is
most directly related to this statement?
1. Age of Exploration
2. Scientific Revolution
3. Crusades
4. Protestant Reformation