AP History 9/26 The Catholic Reformation
The Council of Trent: ,
called to reform the Catholic church but also to secure reconciliation with the Protestants. Lutherans and Calvinists were invited to participate, but their insistence that the Scriptures be the sole basis for discussion made reconciliation impossible. It laid a solid basis for the spiritual renewal of the Catholic church by reaffirming the 7 sacraments and teaching on transubstantiation. The council stipulated for a marriage to be valid, the vows had to be made publically before a priest and witnesses. Trent ended the widespread practice of private marriages. It composed decrees that laid a solid basis for the spiritual renewal of the church. The Doctrinal and disciplinary legislation of Trent served as the basis for Roman Catholic faith, organization, and practice through the middle of the 20 century.
Jesuits:,
founded by Ignatius Loyola, they were members of the society of Jesus whose goal was the spread of the Roman Catholic faith. They played a powerful role in strengthening Catholicism in Europe and spreading the faith around the world. The first Jesuits goal was not to reform the church, but to help souls. It developed into a highly centralized, tightly knit organization. In addition to rational vows, members also vowed special obedience to the pope. They achieved phenomenal success for the papacy and the reformed Catholic church, carrying Christianity to many places such as India. Within Europe the Jesuits brought southern Germany and much of Eastern Europe back to Catholicism. As confessors and spiritual directors to kings, they exerted great political influence.
Angela Merici:,
founded the Ursuline order of nuns, who focused on the education of women. She was the daughter of a country man who worked for many years among the poor, sick and uneducated around Italy. She established the first women's religious order concentrating on reaching young girls with the goal of reChristianizing society by retraining future wives and mothers in 1535. The Ursuline's rapidly spread in France and the new world in 1565 after being approved by the Pope.
The Holy Office: ,
The official Roman Catholic agency founded in 1542 to combat international doctrinal heresy. They published the Index of prohibited Books, a catalogue of forbidden reading that included works by Christian Humanist Erasmus as well as protestants.
Saint Teresa of Avila:,
a Carmelite nun in Spain founded new covenants and reformed her Carmelite order to bring it back to stricter standards of asceticism and poverty, a task she understood God had set for her in mystical visions. Some thought her ideas were too strict for women, and at one point she was questioned to make sure these ideas were coming from God and not the devil. She founded many covenants.
Spiritual Exercises:,
a book by Ignatius Loyola, this work was intended for study during a four week period of retreat, set out a training program of structured meditation designed to develop spiritual discipline and allow one to meld one's will with that of Gd.
Pope Paul III: ,
the pope's views on church reforms changed with him; pontificate 1534-1549, when the papal court became the center of the reform movement rather than its chief opponent. Paul III and his successors supported improvements in education for the clergy, the end of simony(the selling of church offices) and stricter control of clerical life. In 1542 Paul III established the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, often called the Holy office, with jurisdiction over the Roman Inquisition, powerful instrument of the Catholic Reformation. He also called a general council, which met intermittently from 1545 to 1563 at Trent.
