Counter-Reformation facts for kids
The Counter-Reformation was a movement within the Roman Catholic Church. Its main aim was to reform and improve it. It was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation at the time.
It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and largely ended with the conclusion of the European wars of religion in 1648.
Its first period is called the Catholic Reformation. It had many features. They covered the following five areas:
- Doctrine
- Ecclesiastical or Structural Reconfiguration
- Religious Orders
- Spiritual Movements
- Political Dimensions
The Counter-Reformation began after Martin Luther's reformation, which made the many Protestant Churches. Its name was the Protestant Reformation. In reaction to it, the Catholics did two things. They doubled their efforts, and they also stressed some points of faith that the Protestants' objections had put in danger such as the reinforcement of the seven sacraments and their beliefs on transubstantiation.
Key events
Key events of the period include:
- the Council of Trent (1545–1563);
- the excommunication of Elizabeth I (1570),
- the codification of the uniform Roman Rite Mass (1570),
- the Battle of Lepanto (1571) during the pontificate of Pius V;
- the construction of the Gregorian observatory in Rome,
- the founding of the Gregorian University,
- the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, and the Jesuit China mission of Matteo Ricci, all under Pope Gregory XIII (r. 1572–1585);
- the French Wars of Religion;
- the Long Turkish War and the execution of Giordano Bruno in 1600, under Pope Clement VIII;
- the birth of the Lyncean Academy of the Papal States, of which the main figure was Galileo Galilei (later put on trial);
- the final phases of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) during the pontificates of Urban VIII and Innocent X;
- and the formation of the last Holy League by Innocent XI during the Great Turkish War (1683–1699).
Council of Trent
Pope Paul III (1534–1549) is considered the first pope of the Counter-Reformation. He initiated the Council of Trent (1545–1563) to address the problems of the Catholic Church.
The council:
- recommended that the form of Mass should be standardised, and this took place in 1570, when Pope Pius V made the Tridentine Mass obligatory;
- rejected all compromise with Protestants,
- restated basic tenets of the Catholic Faith,
- reaffirmed the traditional fundamentals of the Church.
At the same time, the council made some noticeable changes. For example, it was decide to give better education to parish priests and to teach them Latin.
The Council of Trent attempted to improve the discipline and administration of the Church. The appointment of bishops for political reasons was no longer tolerated.
The Council of Trent 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.
Baroque art
The Catholic Church was a leading arts patron across much of Europe. The goal of much art in the Counter-Reformation was to restore Catholicism's predominance. This was one of the drivers of the Baroque style that emerged across Europe in the late sixteenth century.
The Council of Trent proclaimed that architecture, painting and sculpture had a role in conveying Catholic ideas about God. Any depiction of Christ's suffering and explicit agony was desirable and proper. While some Protestant reformers were destroying images of saints and whitewashing walls, Catholic reformers reaffirmed the importance of art. They especially encouraged creating the images of the Virgin Mary.
Related pages
Images for kids
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A copy of the Sixtine Vulgate, the Latin edition of the Catholic Bible printed in 1590 after many of the Council of Trent's reforms had begun to take place in Catholic worship
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Confutatio Augustana (left) and Confessio Augustana (right) being presented to Charles V
See also
In Spanish: Contrarreforma para niños
