Transcript The Catholic Counter-Reformation

1560-1648
THE CATHOLIC COUNTERREFORMATION
4 Areas of Focus :
 Political Dimensions
 Doctrine
 Ecclesiastical & Structural Reconfiguration
 Religious Orders
#1 Political Dimensions
 1520 Pope Leo X
orders Luther to recant
41 of his 95 theses or
be excommunicated
 Luther burns the order
(called a Papal Bull, or
law)
 Luther is protected by
the Elector of Saxony,
Frederick III.
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 The Emperor Charles V, in response, calls a
«Diet» (meeting of the German Estates) in
Worms the next year. (1521)
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 It is here where Luther refuses to recant, and
utters the (probably mythical) words, «Here I
stand. I can do nothing other. God Help Me.
Amen.»
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 Luther is spirited away,
and Charles V insists on
there being a full
Church council, as do
the German estates.
 Charles V wants the
religious controversy
settled ASAP. He has
the France of François I
 and the Turkey of
Suleiman II to deal
with.
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 But back In Rome, a full
church council is the last
thing the new Pope,
Clement VII (the one who
will give Henry so much
trouble) wants.
 Full Church Councils
tend to think they are
the voice of God on
Earth.
Political Dimension Cont’d
 But everyone knows
that this is heresy.
 Unless you want to end
up like this :
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 So the Papacy will delay and delay and delay.
 And heresy will spread and spread and
spread.
 England will fall in 1533.
 And in France, the Calvinist heresy will take
hold.
Political Dimensions Cont’d
•Jean Calvin
(1509-64)
•Heretic
extraordinaire
•Born in France
too!
Political Dimensions Cont’d
•
Basically Calvin said:
• 1) We are enslaved to sin because of the Fall of Adam
and Eve.
• 2) Only God’s mercy can save us.
• 3) The only person punished for our sins is Christ himself.
• Therefore God won’t punish «the elect» twice (i.e. with
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Hell)
Who are «the elect»?
Us. 
Which could mean ALL of us. 
Or just some. 
Only God knows.
Political Dimensions Cont’d
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4) Grace is irresistible on the elect.
5) The Perseverance of the saints:
By «saints» Calvin means the elect
By «perseverance» he means that the elect
can never stray.
• This doctrine is very useful for Henri IV of France.
• He will «stray» several times, finally
settling on Catholicism in 1594 by
observing :
• «Paris vaut bien une messe.» 
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 Calvin doesn’t work in isolation : many beliefs
of the Lutheran faith, such as the «priesthood
of all believers» of Martin Luther, are believed
by Calvinists too
 All peoples’ work is pleasing to God…not just
a priest’s.
 Everyone can read and interpret scripture
 And this would be nothing except…
Political Dimension Cont’d
 What makes Calvinism so threatening is how
quickly is spreads and how effectively it
organizes.
 It doesn’t really spread in the countryside, but it
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does in the towns and cities
Except Paris, which remains severely Catholic.
Luther was an original thinker, but not good at
the practical aspects of building a Church
Calvin was a systematizer
He created a Church with roles for both clergy
and non-clergy
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 Calvin gives disgruntled
nobles something to do
 Calvinism spreads like wild
fire through the upper
nobility of France (via the
wives, who convert their
husbands and sons)
 Like this one : Jeanne
d’Albrect, Queen of
Navarre
 Her son, Henri, will
become King Henri
IV, the first Bourbon
monarch
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 Unfortunately in
France, into one noble
household, namely les
Valois, Calvinism
makes no inroads.
 Les Valois, who have
for their leader one
François I, just happen
to be the kings of
France from 1515-1589
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 But why should les
Valois remain so
staunchly Catholic?
 Why would François I
support Clement VII
and not want a general
Chuch council?
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 Well, unlike Henry VIII in England, in 1516
François I won the right to control of most of
the French Catholic Church in something
called The Concordat of Bologna.
 The Pope was the only person who could
annul a marriage, but beyond that, François I
was pretty much the head of the Catholic
Church in France.
 He could tax, appoint bishops, block
appointments by the Pope, etc.
Political Dimension Cont’d
 In return, the Papacy got François I’s support
against Church councils.
 So you can see (now) why it takes so long to
get a General Council together.
 It won’t meet until 1545. And it won’t end
until 1563.
 And it will only actually meet 3 times in that
period.
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 Pope Paul III will try to
summon it in 1537, but
will get nowhere until
1545
 Pope Julius III, (not a
fan), moves the council
to Bologna, suspends it
and then dies. (1555)
Political Dimensions Cont’d
 Pope Paul IV spends his
papacy becoming «the
father of the Roman
Inquisition.»
 It is Pope Pius IV who
will bring the Council to
a successful end (and
then die) in 1563 (1565).
#2 : Doctrine
 Upheld basic beliefs of the medieval Church.
 The Church Fathers (ancient Saints like
Augustine and Origen), the scholastics, and
canon law were all held to be as valid as the
Bible. (so no sola scriptura).
 Grace and therefore salvation were achieved
thru faith and good works, not sola fidae
 The 7 sacraments were confirmed, including
the doctrine of transubstantiation.
A Word about sacraments
 Definition : a sacrament is an outward sign of an inner
blessing from God
 These are rites instituted by Christ during his ministry on
Earth.
 The Catholic Church has 7 :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Baptism
Confirmation
The Eucharist
(Communion)
Marriage
Ordination
Holy Orders
Last rites
A Word about sacraments
 The Lutherans will reduce the number of
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sacraments to two : baptism and marriage
The Calvinists eliminate them all.
For the most part, the sacraments are
harmless doctrine, except for a) Holy Orders
Which made priests «special» and better than
ordinary people
And b) marriage
A Word about sacraments
 Marriage is a problem because a blessing from God
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cannot be taken back
This is why the marriage state bound people to one
another and it was practically impossible to dissolve
them.
The Church didn’t offer divorce per sé, but an
annulment.
This declared that the marriage was invalid at the
time the vows were declared, and thus no grace was
ever given by God.
This is what Henry VIII sought : he claimed his
marriage to Catherine of Aragon was incestuous.
#2 Doctrine Cont’d
 Indulgences (tho’ not $ ones), pilgrimages, &
the veneration of the saints & Virgin Mary
were all reinforced.
 Catholic doctrine was recorded in the Roman
Catechism, a manual for priests basically
teaching them the beliefs of the faith.
 The Mass was standardized and spoken in
Latin.
#3 : Ecclesiastical Reforms
 Here the Church sided with the humanists in
their criticism of priests.
 Parish priests were to be better educated and
trained, catching up with the average person
in most cases.
 Papal authorities would better educate the
laiety (i.e. those who were not priests) about
their religion : the liturgy, the art, etc.
Ecclesiastical Reforms Cont’d
 From now on, bishops were made to live in
their dioceses (i.e. the lands they ruled in the
Church’s name)
 However, bishops now had greater power in
overseeing spiritual matters in their
jurisdictions
 Celibacy was effectively enforced
#4 : Religious Orders
 Capuchins, Ursulines, Theatines, Barnabites,
& especially Jesuits, were the «shock troops»
of the Counter-Reformation
 They were orders of the world (i.e. they lived
amidst the people) and oversaw the «spiritual
health» of priests and the laiety and rooted
out heresy
#4 : Religious Orders Cont’d
 Capuchins practised the imitatio Christi of
Erasmus
 Theatines rooted out heresy and educated
the clergy
 Ursulines educated girls
 But the Jesuits were most effective
The Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
 Founder : Ignatius Loyola
(1491-1556)
 A soldier, he is badly
wounded at Pamplona in
1521 by a canon ball
 If he survives, he will
devote himself to «God
and the Roman Pontiff,
his vicar on Earth.»
 Started The Society of
Jesus in 1534
#4 The Jesuits Cont’d
 Given Papal
authorization in 1540
by Paul III
 Organized along
military lines with strict
military discipline
 Took oaths of chastity,
poverty, and obedience
#4 Religious Orders Cont’d
 The Jesuits thus helped the papacy keep its
supremacy versus Church Councils with Loyola’s
oath
 This was another key aspect of the medieval
Catholic Church : the primacy over the Church of
the office of the Pope in direct opposition to the
doctrine of Concialiarism, the belief that God’s
will was revealed through Church councils, not
just the Pope alone
 It explains why the Council of Trent took so long
to form.
 And why it took so long to end. (1545-1563)