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''Synopsis:'' The {{Infobox_Contents | topic_name = Counter-Reformation (also known as the Catholic Reformation) refers to the period of reform, renewal, as well as reaffirmation of | subtopics = [[Roman CatholicJesuits]] doctrines and structure that occurred in response to the Protestant [[Reformation]]. Key to the Counter Reformation was the - [[Council of Trent]] which reaffirmed many core Roman Catholic doctrines.| opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}}}}
{{opinions}}=="Counter Reformation" or "Catholic Reformation"==
==Main article== The Counter-Reformation (also known as the Catholic Reformation) refers to the period of reform, as well as reaffirmation of [[Roman Catholic] doctrines and structure that occurred in response to the Protestant [[Reformation]]. It encompassed doctrine, ecclesiastical structure, religious orders, spiritual movements and politics. ==="Counter Reformation" or "Catholic Reformation"=== The two terms highlight different aspects of the movement. The term Counter-Reformation, used especially by non-Catholics, emphasizes the view that these reforms were prompted largely by the rise of Protestants and the threat they posed to Catholic institutions. In this view, the reforms were aimed primarily at reducing the loss of the faithful to [[Protestantism]]. The term Catholic Reformation, used especially by Catholics, or simply Catholic Reform identifies it as an action initiated by the Catholic Church, rather than a reaction to Protestant Reformers.
===[[Council of Trent]]===
===[[Pope Paul IV]]===
===[[Pope Pius V]]===
===[[Pope Sixtus V]]===
===Orders===
Infobox, some minor changes.
The '''Counter----__TOC__{{topics}}* Protestant [[Reformation]]* [[Council ''' (also known as the Catholic Reformation) refers to the period of reform, renewal, as well as reaffirmation of Trent]]* [[Pope Paul IIIRoman Catholic]] | doctrines and structure that occurred in response to the Protestant [[Pope Paul IVReformation]] | . Key to the Counter Reformation was the [[Pope Pius V]] | [[Pope Sixtus V]]* [[JesuitsCouncil of Trent]].
Scholars, such as John C. Olin, began using the term "Catholic Reformation" in the last half of the 20th Century to emphasize the attempts at reform, theological and disciplinary, within the Roman Catholic Church that began before the traditional date of the launch of the Protestant Reformation by [[Martin Luther]] or before the [[Council of Trent]] (events such as the [[Fifth Lateran Council]], and the sermons on reform delivered by [[John Colet]] in England).
[[Pope Paul III]] (1534-1549) initiated the Council of Trent (1545-1563), a commission of cardinals tasked with institutional reform, to address contentious issues such as corrupt bishops and priests, indulgences, and other financial abuses. The Council rejected specific Protestant positions and upheld the basic structure of the Medieval Church, its sacramental system, religious orders, and doctrine. It rejected all compromise with the Protestants, restating basic tenets of the Catholic faith. The Council upheld salvation appropriated by [[justification by faith plus works|grace through faith and works]] (not [[Justification by faith|just by faith]], as the Protestants insisted). Transubstantiation, during which the consecrated bread and wine were held to be transformed wholly and substantially into the body, blood, humanity and divinity of Christ, was upheld, along with the other six [[Sacraments]]. Other practices that drew the ire of Protestant reformers, such as [[indulgences]], pilgrimages, the [[veneration of saints]] and relics, and the veneration of the [[Roman Catholicism: Mary|Virgin Mary]] were strongly reaffirmed as spiritually vital. The Council also commissioned the [[Roman Catechism]], which would serve as authoritative Church teaching until it was replaced by the [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] in 1992.
The Council, by virtue of its actions, repudiated the pluralism of the Secular Renaissance Church: the organization of religious institutions was tightened, discipline was improved, and the parish was emphasized. The appointment of Bishops for political reasons was no longer tolerated. In the past, the large landholdings forced many bishops to be "absent bishops" who at times were property managers trained in administration. Thus, the Council of Trent combated "absenteeism," which was the practice of bishops living in Rome or on landed estates rather than in their dioceses. The Council of Trent also gave bishops greater power to supervise all aspects of religious life. Zealous prelates such as Milan's Archbishop [[Carlo Borromeo]] (1538-1584), later canonized as a saint, set an example by visiting the remotest parishes and instilling high standards. At the parish level, the seminary-trained clergy who took over in most places during the course of the seventeenth century were overwhelmingly faithful to the church's rule of celibacy.
Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) is sometimes deemed the first of the Counter-Reformation popes. He had resolute determination to eliminate [[Protestantism]] - and the ineffectual institutional practices of the Church that contributed to its appeal. Two of his key strategies were the [[Inquisition]] and censorship of prohibited books. In this sense, his aggressive and autocratic efforts of renewal greatly reflected the strategies of earlier reform movements, especially the legalist and observantine sides: burning heretics and strict emphasis on [[Canon law]]. It also reflected the rapid pace toward absolutism that characterized the sixteenth century.
While the aggressive authoritarian approach was arguably destructive of personal religious experience, a new wave of reforms and orders conveyed a strong devotional side. Devotionalism provided an individual outlet for religious experience, for example, through meditation by reciting of the Rosary. The devotional side of the Counter-Reformation combined two strategies of Catholic Renewal. For one, the emphasis of God as an unknowable absolute ruler - a God to be feared - coincided well with the aggressive absolutism of the Church of Paul IV. But it also opened up new paths toward popular piety and individual religious experience to its strong emotional and psychological side.
The papacy of Pius V (1566-1572) represented a strong effort not only to crack down against heretics and worldly abuses within the Church, but also to improve popular piety in a determined effort to stem the appeal of [[Protestantism]]. A man of impoverished upbringing taken in by the Dominicans, he was trained in a solid and austere piety. He began his pontificate by giving large alms to the poor, charity, and hospitals rather than focusing on patronage. As pontiff he practiced the virtues of a monk, known for daily meditations on bent knees in presence of the [[Blessed Sacrament]]. Pius V sought to improve the public morality of the Church, promote the [[Jesuits]], and support the [[Inquisition]]. He enforced the observance of the discipline of the [[Council of Trent]], and supported the missions of the [[New World]]. The [[Spanish Inquisition]], brought under the direction of the absolutist Spanish state since Ferdinand and Isabella, stemmed the growth of heresy before it could spread.
The pontificate of Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) opened up the final stage of the Counter Reformation. His reign focused on rebuilding [[Rome]] as a great European capital and Baroque city, a visual symbol for the Catholic Church.
New religious orders were a fundamental part of the Counter Reformation. Orders such as the [[Capuchins]], [[Ursulines]], [[Theatines]], the [[Barnabites]], and especially the [[Jesuits]] strengthened rural parishes, improved popular piety, helped to curb corruption within the church, and set examples that would be a strong impetus for Catholic renewal.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-Reformation Wikipedia - Counter-Reformation]
{{returnto}} [[Church history]] | [[Roman Catholicism]] | [[Reformation]]
