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__NOTOC__{{Infobox_Contents | topic_name =Counter Reformation | subtopics =Synopsis=[[Jesuits]]* [[Council of Trent]] * Protestant [[Reformation]] | opinion_pieces ={{short_opinions}}}}
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-Reformation Wikipedia - Counter-Reformation] {{returnto}} * [[Christianity]] -> [[Church history]] | -> [[Reformation]]* [[Christianity]] -> [[Denominations]] -> [[Roman Catholicism]][[Category:Catholic Church]][[Category:Church history]]
Category:Church history
The '''Counter-Reformation ''' (also known as the Catholic Reformation) refers to the period of reform, renewal, as well as reaffirmation of [[Roman Catholic]] doctrines and structure that occurred in response to the Protestant [[Reformation]]. ==Contents== {{topics}}* Protestant [[Key to the Counter Reformation]]* was the [[Council of Trent]]* [[Pope Paul III]] | [[Pope Paul IV]] | [[Pope Pius V]] | [[Pope Sixtus V]]* [[Jesuits]] {{opinions}} {{quotes}} ==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.
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).
The Jesuits, founded by the Spanish nobleman and ex-soldier [[Ignatius of Loyola]] (1491-1556), were the most effective of the new Catholic orders. His Societas de Jesus was founded in 1534 and received papal authorization in 1540 under [[Pope Paul III]]. An heir to the devotional, observantine, and legalist traditions, the Jesuits organized their order along military lines, they strongly reflected the autocratic zeal of the period. Characterized by careful selection, rigorous training, and iron discipline, the worldliness of the Renaissance Church had no part in the new order. Loyola's masterwork [[Spiritual Exercises]] reflected the emphasis of handbooks characteristic of the earlier generation of Catholics before the [[Reformation]]. The great psychological penetration that it conveyed was strongly reminiscent of devotionalism. However, the Jesuits are really the heirs to the observantine reform tradition, taking strong monastic vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty and setting an example that improved the effectiveness of the entire Church. They became preachers, confessors to monarchs and princes. Their efforts stemmed [[Protestantism]] in [[Poland]], [[Bohemia]], [[Hungary]], southern [[Germany]], [[France]], and the Spanish Netherlands. They also strongly participated in the expansion of the Church in the [[Americas]] and [[Asia]], conducting efforts in missionary activity that outpaced [[Protestantism]]. Even Loyola's biography contributed to the new emphasis on popular piety that had been waning under the eras of politically oriented popes such as Alexander VI and Leo X. After recovering from a severe battle wound, he took a vow to "serve only God and the Roman pontiff, His vicar on earth." Once again, the emphasis on the [[Pope]] is a key reaffirmation of the Medieval Church as the [[Council of Trent]] firmly defeated all attempts of [[Conciliarism]], the belief that general councils of the church collectively were God's representative on earth, rather than the Pope. Firmly legitimizing the new role of the Pope as an absolute ruler strongly characteristic of the new age of absolutism ushered in by the sixteenth century, the Jesuits strongly contributed to the reinvigoration of the Counter-Reformation Church.
==Quotes==
==Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-Reformation Wikipedia - Counter-Reformation]
