The Nature of Counter-Reformation - Essay Example

The Nature of Counter Reformation The Catholic Church in medieval Europe had assumed an imperial nature rivaling the excesses of even the renaissanceroyal households. The church held massive political power, controlled huge landholdings, amassed enormous wealth and was the sole arbiter of education and learning in Europe. However, the result was that the church digressed from its primary role as the spiritual intermediary and guide to the people so much so that by the time of the reformation movements of Martin Luther, it had become a very corrupt, stagnant and degenerate organization whose interests were more often political than spiritual. The reformation movements gained prominence in northern Europe first; primarily due to its geographical isolation and also due to the long harbored anguish among its people against papal interference in their matters. A series of events in the sixteenth century- the excommunication of Luther by Rome in 1521, the Zwinglian and Calvinist movements in Switzerland, the French wars of religion and the formation of the Church of England -consolidated the protestant reformation drawing a following of many millions of people away from the pope and fragmenting the power of the pope. The Catholic Church was not caught unawares by the protestant movements. Reformers such as St Francis of Assisi, John Wycliffe etc had addressed the issues relating to the life of the church before the 1500s. The major changes by the Catholic Church to restructure itself internally and counter the external reform movements started with the Council of Trent in 1545, convened by Pope Paul III. The church through the Counter Reformation movements underwent truly revolutionary changes that restructure the scope, organization and theological doctrine of the church. The Counter Reformation was very comprehensive in its nature. It addressed all the issues that the Protestants had been alleging against it and instituted a basic change at its roots level. However, the major changes can be grouped into five categories – doctrinal, Ecclesiastical or structural, religious orders, Spiritual movements and Political. The Protestants had argued that the doctrine of the church should be based solely on the scriptures, “sola Scriptura” and the practices like the sacraments, sale of indulgences etc were not in accordance with the fundamental tenants of Christianity. The Council of Trent decreed that all the practices of the medieval church including the ones that were contended by the Protestants were legitimate and according to the teachings of Christ. The council reinforced the belief that salvation was appropriated by both faith and work as opposed to faith alone as was preached by Luther. A large number of seminaries and universities were built to impart theological training to the clergy as they had been found to be poorly educated especially in the rural areas. This enabled them to be in a better position to impart spiritual guidance to the parishioners. Within the Catholic Church many far reaching institutional reformations were administered. Attempts were made to combat corruption within the ecclesial orders. The overtly luxurious and worldly living of the priests was condemned and bishops were ordered to stay within their dioceses. The appointments of bishops for political purposes as well as the appointment of relatives to church offices were banned. Within the church, discipline was improved and the better educated clergy could now administer theological services based on the principles of humanism, devotionalism and loyalism. The most effective response of the Catholic Church to the protestant reforms were a number of religious orders that blossomed from within the church which proclaimed their loyalty to the pope and at the same time had a massive popular following. These orders include the Capuchins, Ursulines, Theatines, Barbites and of course the Jesuits. These orders worked for the benefit of the common people taking care of the poor and the sick, all the while adhering to the strictest norms of piety and chastity. The Ursulines worked for educating girls while the Theatines were devoted priests who worked to check the spread of heresy and to regenerate the clergy. But by far the single greatest source for the reinvigoration of the Roman Catholic Church and the greatest opposition to the protestant movement were the Jesuits or the House of Jesus, created by Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. 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. The Jesuits set about their mission 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, and educators reminiscent of the humanist reformers, and their efforts are largely credited with stemming Protestantism in Poland, Bohemia, Hungary, southern Germany, France, and the Spanish Netherlands. They travelled beyond Europe with exploratory zeal and is responsible for the spread of Christianity in Asia and America where even to this day the population has remained largely catholic. Other than these, there were reform movement led by great humanitarians like John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila which were based on love, Unity, Mysticism and oneness with God. More than anything else, these movements and orders reaffirmed the spiritual sanctity of the church. The counter reform movements were highly successful in rectifying the internal flaws of the church as well as in conveying a message to the world that the church was open to constructive reformation. The doctrine of the church was clarified and everywhere in catholic Europe a religious system based on theological principles was setup. The superstitions of the medieval church were largely brought under control though they would not completely disappear until the scientific revolutions of the nineteenth century. Corruption was largely contained and the nepotism of those at the higher elms of power was dissipated. The organization of the church was modernized and clarified. The Jesuit and other movements would result in a massive spread of Catholicism all around the world. In later years the church could claim the expansion of its support base as the visible reaction to the success its counter reform movements. However, the primary aim of the reformation, that of tackling Protestantism, was never met. Protestantism continued to grow and by the seventeenth century, large areas of Europe had been lost to the church. The Pope lost his control over a substantial land area and the income from these. Ultimately, the unity of Christendom was lost and in the place of a single ecclesial structure there would rise a plethora of religious sects. It can be argued that what it lost in Europe, the church gained from elsewhere in the world. The Church was in a much stronger position to govern the areas still in its control and give the people in that area the spiritual guidance they required. In many senses the Church was smaller in size and authority but ‘leaner and fitter’ in its ability to tend to the Catholics that remained in Europe and who had been converted in the Far East and Latin America. In this sense the Catholic Reformation was far from a failure. References Britannica, E. (2008, Sep 30). Counter Reformation. Retrieved Sep 30, 2008, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/140219/Counter-Reformation Hooker, R. (1999, June 6). The Counter Reformation. Retrieved September 28, 2008, from World Civilizations: http://wsu.edu/~dee/REFORM/COUNTER.HTM Trueman, C. (1999, June 13). How succesful was Counter Reformatiom. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from History Learning Site: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/about-the-author.htm Read More