The renewal movement that arose within the Catholic Church is called the Contra Reforma , due to the censorship that Protestantism had formulated.
In the face of harsh attacks from Luther and Calvin, the Church agreed to reform itself, that is, to reorganize itself regardless of criticism of heresy. This is called the Counter Reformation, because it was a movement opposed to the Protestant Reformation. To carry out this renovation, the Council of Trent met.
The Council of Trent
Within the Church it is called Ecumenical Council to the meeting of the high representatives of the Clergy, to deal with matters of great religious importance. One of these Councils met in Trent in 1545, summoned by Pope Paul III, in view of the attacks of Protestantism.
The Council met for 18 years (1545-1563) with some interruptions, and among its most important agreements are the following:
- Nobody will be able to interpret the Bible freely, since only the Church is infallible to give a fair interpretation.
- The seven sacraments must be strictly respected and adhered to.
- Marriage may not be contracted without ecclesiastical permission and the marriage of clerics is prohibited.
- The council reformed some special rites of the cult.
- To avoid capricious translations, the Church published the translation of the Bible called the Latin Vulgate for being written in Latin and being the work of Saint Jerome.
- The cult of saints and the doctrine of Purgatory remained in all their vigor.
The instruments of the Counter Reformation
To combat the protestant action in the counter reform, the council took strong agreements. He resolved to repress heresy, using three instruments or means:the Index, the Court of the Inquisition and the Society of Jesus.
The Index
It was the book where all the literary and scientific works that could be read by Catholics and also those that were prohibited were listed in alphabetical order. The punishments for reading the censored books were prison or torment. The printer was as responsible as the author of a work. Pope Paul IV established the Index.
The Court of the Inquisition
Also called the Court of the Holy Office, its purpose was to judge those accused of heresy, imposing truly infamous and cruel punishments. The judges who formed the Court covered their faces to avoid the revenge of the relatives of the victims. The Inquisition made military people perish at the stake, torture or jail. This bloodthirsty institution was a real affront to culture and a shame for its creators.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
The gentle man Iñigo López de Recalde (1491-1556), was born in Loyola, located in the region of the Basque Provinces of Spain. Having been wounded in both legs during a fight, he despaired believing that he was going to die; but as he saw that through his prayers to the divinity, his wounds healed quickly, he increased his mysticism to the maximum degree and during his convalescence he offered to God to dedicate himself to defending the principles of Religion, so seriously attacked. by Protestantism.
For this reason, he moved to Paris and studied at the University for 6 years. There he began his preaching and there he found his first disciples, among them the one who was, later, San Francisco Javier .
On August 15, 1534 he solemnly founded the order called Society of Jesus , the same that in a short time became a powerful instrument of the Counter Reformation.
The Society of Jesus
This religious order had a truly military organization. The statutes, drawn up by its own founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, required that its members have a spirit of sacrifice and be rigidly disciplined. Obedience to the superior had to be blind. The head of the order had the appellation of General . The Jesuits were “Soldiers of Christ” and therefore they formed an army.
In the counter-reform, the company set out to fulfill great goals:
- Instruct , for which reason the Jesuits dedicated themselves to secondary education, in very well organized Colleges, which soon became famous for their discipline and methods.
In these schools, editions of the most select Greek and Latin poets and writers were made, to be used, as reading books, in the classrooms. hence the name Clásicos with which select authors are still known.
- Make Propaganda to the principles of Catholicism, ardently combating Protestant ideas.
- Catechize unbelievers, through missions and expeditions to the farthest places. The Jesuits, for this reason, spread throughout the world.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola died in 1556. Because of his vehement faith and his virtues, he was canonized by the Catholic Church.