THE COUNTER REFORMATION: INITIATIVES FOR REFORM IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
By the middle of the sixteenth century the Roman Catholic Church had recognized the need for reformation and primarily initiated reform as a response to the popularity of the Protestant reformation. In order to understand the Catholic Reformation one must consider the political factors and facets of belief that motivated a need for change. Recognition of the decline of the Catholic Church created unsettlement and a questioning attitude toward the authority in the church. Many movements attempted to bring spirituality back to the heart of the church while other movements led to separation. In specifying the events of this era and analyzing the motives for reform it will be concluded that the Counter Reformation was the beginning of the realization for a need to instate changes in hope to avoid the dissolution of the Catholic Church politically and spiritually. The Catholic Church was motivated to initiate such a reform due to political loss of power within the church, corrupt and questionable church practices, and a need to clarify its purpose.
One must understand the political make up of the Catholic Church during this period prior to addressing motives for reform in the church. The church was far more than a religious institution. The Catholic Church held supreme power in Europe. The power of the pope was unprecedented and this was supplemented by the power the Holy Roman Emperor as the temporal defender of the Catholic Church. The Church was considered a state even though it held no defined territory. The Church consisted of a monarchal pope and held legislative assemblies in ecumenical Councils. It went to war, negotiated treaties and collected taxes. The Catholic Church operated as a complete empire and consisted of delicate intricacies in a balanced system that would soon be challenged. It can be said, “The Counter-Reformation, sustained by the ardour of spiritual revival,...