Notes Over The Counter-Reformation (The Catholic Reformation)

Henry VIII, not the Pope, was the head of the Angelical Church

But, most Europeans, especially in Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy stayed with the Catholic Church which remained the largest religion in Europe but it had lost much of it’s power and influence

The response of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation became known as the Counter-Reformation (or the Catholic Reformation)

One of the first reformers in the Catholic Church was Ignatius of Loyola who formed the Society of Jesus in 1540; Members of the Society of Jesus were called Jesuits and focused on three goals:

Jesuits formed schools to better educate Catholic priests

Jesuits tried to stop the spread of Protestantism

Jesuits sent missionaries around the world to convert non-Christians to Catholicism

In 1545, Pope Paul III created a committee of Catholic leaders to review church practices, known as the Council of Trent

To enforce these beliefs, the Church used the Inquisition to accuse, hold trials, and punish heretics

The Protestant Reformation left Europe religiously divided

Numerous religious wars were fought between Catholics and Protestants

The weakened authority of the Pope helped kings gain power and form nations

Missionaries converted non-Christians throughout the world

The Reformation encouraged education and the questioning of long-held beliefs