The Counter-Reformation (Catholic)

• Catholic Church began taking steps to counteract successes of the Protestants.

• Index of Prohibited Books included works by Erasmus and Galileo

• Papal Inquisition was revived; heretics put to death for beliefs

St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits• Founded the Society of Jesus

or Jesuits in 1540s to lead attack on Protestants

• Wrote Spiritual Exercisesemphasized spiritual practices of Catholics

• “troops of the Pope”re-Catholicized large parts of Eastern Europe through education

Excerpt from Spiritual Exercises

“To arrive at complete certainty, this is the attitude that we should maintain: I will believe that the white object I see is black if that should be the desire of the hierarchical church, for I believe that linking Christ our Lord the Bridegroom and His Bride the church, there is one and the same Spirit, ruling and guiding us for our souls’ good. For our Holy Mother the church is guided and ruled by the same Spirit, the Lord who gave the Ten Commandments.

New Religious Orders• The Ursulinesbring Catholic

education to girls• Teresa of Avila founded Carmelites

(w/o shoes)life of service to God• Oratory of Diven Lovegroup of

clergy looking to reform church and lead a life of piety

To reform or not to reform

• Popes resisted reform in fear of loss of papal powers

• 1527 The Sack of Rome by HRE saw as punishment for abuses of Renaissance popes

• 1534 Paul III became pope, attacked abuses, and reasserted papal leadership

Council of Trent (1545-1563)• Centerpiece of Cath. Ref.enhanced the

power of the papacy• Reforms: 1)limited indulgences; 2)mandated a

seminary for the education of clergy in every diocese

• Emphasized traditional teachingsrole of priests, faith and good works, and sacraments

• Baroque artmore intensely religious art