Summary
Highlights
Following Martin Luther's 95 Theses in 1517 and the subsequent Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church began to re-evaluate its practices. About 30 years after the start of the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church initiated its own reformation, often called the Catholic Reformation, Counter-Reformation, or Catholic Counter-Reformation, to address Protestant complaints and stem the loss of influence.
One of the first responses was the establishment of the Jesuit order by Ignatius of Loyola. The Jesuits focused on educating Catholics to prevent them from adopting Protestant doctrines and were also responsible for the Roman Inquisition, which sought to eliminate heretics. The Inquisition created the Index of Prohibited Books, banning works by Protestant reformers, Galileo, and Erasmus. Other orders, like the Ursulines, focused on educating girls, and Saint Teresa of Avila reformed the Carmelite Order, emphasizing prayer and poverty.
The most significant event of the Catholic Reformation was the Council of Trent, convened by Pope Paul III in 1545. This council aimed to resolve differences between Catholics and Protestants by addressing long-standing complaints. They suppressed simony (buying and selling church offices), reestablished priestly celibacy, and reformed the sale of indulgences, prohibiting their sale to finance lavish projects.
Despite addressing some corrupt practices, the Council of Trent also strongly reaffirmed traditional Catholic doctrine, solidifying the split with Protestants. They affirmed that salvation comes from faith and works (not faith alone), the doctrine of transubstantiation (Christ's actual presence in the Eucharist), the seven sacraments (compared to the Protestant two), and the equal authority of the Bible and church dogma (not the Bible alone). These reaffirmations ensured the permanent division between Catholicism and Protestantism.