The Counter-Reformation or Catholic Reform arose from some reforms contained in the Council of Trent implemented by the Catholic Church responding to the spread of Protestantism. Its objectives were the internal renewal of the Church, maintain the power of the Catholic clergy and combat the ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin.
This movement formally arose in 1545 with the convocation of the Council of Trent, immediately after the publication of its 95 theses in 1517; however, some historians claim that it started a little earlier. With the Counter-Reformation the evangelizing missions and the Inquisition were born, and a series of wars broke out in Europe.
Auto de Fe in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. (Francisco Rizi, 1683).
Catholicism directed all its efforts to stop the spread of Protestant ideas in Europe during the 16th and early 17th centuries. The Counter-Reformation or Catholic Reformation sought to condemn and refute the heretical theses of Protestantism in Germany, which spread throughout Europe.
It was also oriented towards the reaffirmation of the principles of Catholicism and the defense of the authority of the Church in the interpretation of the holy scriptures.
During this period, new religious orders emerged, such as the Jesuits, the Capuchins, the Theatines, the Ursulines and, later, the Carmelites.
Causes
In the late Middle Ages, many Catholics were unhappy about the scandals that accompanied the Church. The behavior of the high Catholic hierarchy was severely questioned and accused of misinterpreting the Bible for personal gain.
On the other hand, faced with this state of affairs, some Christian theologians sought new ways of professing their devotion to God, with strict adherence to the sacred scriptures that in practice had been rewritten by the popes. Thus was born the Protestant movement, known as the Reformation.
Complaints and questions of high-ranking Church officials abounded during the 14th century. They were accused of ignoring the laws of the Church and living in opulence and sin, especially popes and cardinals. Meanwhile, the bishops were said to not live within their respective dioceses.
These issues tried to be addressed in various councils throughout the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, but neither the popes nor the cardinals supported the reforms. Later, the tidal wave created by the Reformation movement tried to be contained with the convocation of the Council of Trent in 1545.
The growth of Protestantism in Europe set off alarms among Catholics and at the various lower levels of authority in the Church.
Then a movement grew within Catholicism itself to demand that the Catholic hierarchy take action on this crucial issue and lead an effective response to this situation.
Consequently, Pope Paul III convened the Council of Trent, whose recommendations and subsequent decisions by the other popes led to the Catholic Counter-Reformation movement.
characteristics
- The Counter-Reformation took place in an atmosphere of great tension that was marked by the persecution of the infidels; that is, those who did not profess the Catholic religion or Protestants.
- At the same time, it degenerated in the persecution of impure souls and "demons". Its main victims were the supposed witches who unleashed a real hunt in Europe and all of America.
- The Counter-Reformation was one of the darkest periods of Catholicism, especially in America, where it was accentuated with the establishment of the Inquisition from 1542. The Inquisition became the main executing arm of Catholic doctrine.
- It also meant a period of rebirth of Catholicism from 1560, with the pontificate of Pope Pius IV, until 1648, when the Thirty Years War ended.
- The efforts of the missionary movements were started and redoubled, especially in America, Africa and Asia. Spanish, French, and Portuguese and English colonies were established for the conversion of the people to the Catholic religion.
- In this sense, it was the period of greatest flourishing of the different Catholic orders that spread to prevent the growth of Protestantism.
- There were also attempts to achieve the reconversion of souls in other regions such as England and Sweden, which were once Catholic.
- He sought to defend the Catholic sacramental practice and strengthen the structural and theological foundations of the Church.
- It was a period of great religious intolerance that led to wars and confrontations between the Catholic and Protestant kingdoms of Europe. At the same time, it sparked peasant rebellions in various German states beset by high taxes.
Consequences
- Among the most important consequences of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, the changes it generated in the Church and in the practice of the Catholic religion stand out.
- Protestant groups and churches increased in Europe and America, and anti-Semitism increased.
- The Counter-Reformation provoked several wars. Religious conflicts spread throughout Europe between Catholics and Protestants. This generated the civil or religious wars in England and France.
- In Germany it caused the Peasants' War (1524–1525), who rebelled against the authority of the Church and the princes. Likewise, it unleashed the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), which began in the German states with the Protestant rebellion against the Holy Roman Empire.
- After the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia that ended the war, a period of religious tolerance between Protestants and Catholics occurred within the Holy Empire.
- During this period, fear and persecution of Protestant religious groups increased in countries with a majority Catholic population. The Catholic Church persecuted religious minorities to prevent them from becoming Protestant.
- Hundreds of people in Europe and America were executed or burned, accused of witchcraft or heresy during the 16th century. The hysteria generated by the so-called witches led many towns to burn many women at the stake.
- The power of the Catholic Church diminished somewhat and was no longer the same. Its direct consequence was that individual sovereign states and kings gained more power, allowing nation-states to emerge.
References
- Counter-Reformation. Retrieved May 15, 2018 from britannica.com
- I have Counter-Reformation. Consulted of quizlet.com
- Catholic Reformation And Counter-Reformation. Consulted of encyclopedia.com
- What were the causes and consequences of the Catholic Reformation? Consulted from quora.com
- What Was the Counter-Reformation? Consulted of thoughtco.com
- Counter Reformation. Consulted of en.wikipedia.org