Success of the Catholic Reformation

DJ Ubinger

Believe it or not, the Catholic Church was corrupt during the Renaissance. The

Renaissance occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, and people had a renewed

interest in art, history, literature, and learning. In the Renaissance, art began to develop from flat

art with lots of symbolism to illusions of depth and realistic colors and designs. The clergy, or

religious leaders in the Catholic Church such as priests and bishops, spent lots of money on art

for the beautification of Churches, and used money from parishioners to fund these projects.

Some churches in Italy used funds from Italian Catholics and other Catholics from other

countries in Europe. The clergy also lived lavishly, spending unnecessary funds on the arts for

themselves, which went against the Catholic teaching that the clergy should live simple lives to

focus on leading others spiritually and be an example for others to follow. The Church also sold

indulgences, or a shortening of time in Purgatory, which is the place where souls not pure

enough for heaven go, and eventually go to heaven. Martin Luther was angered by these

practices and published 95 theses against the Catholic Church. Luther started his own religion

Lutheranism, which is still practiced today. Many agreed with his point of view and converted

from Catholicism to Lutheranism. This is called the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic

Church continued its corrupt practices. Pope Paul III led reforms starting in the 1530s and 1540s

to end corruption in the Church. This is known as the Catholic Reformation. Some people think

that the Catholic Reformation was a success, and others think it was a failure. I argue that the

Catholic Reformation was successful because the Church reaffirmed its teachings and had been

effective in rooting out corruption. I will prove this by explaining how the Council of Trent
brought attention to issues in the Catholic Church, examining the actions of individuals and their

effects, and showing how the Church eventually ended its corrupt practices.

The Catholic Reformation started because of the combined efforts of Catholics across

Europe, led by Pope Paul III. Pope Paul III called the Council of Trent to order on December 13,

1545. The council met in three different parts from 1545-1563. The first part, from 1545-1547,

included officially making the number of sacraments the current seven, affirming the beliefs

surrounding original sin, and ruling against Luther’s idea of justification of humans by faith

alone. In the second part from 1551-1552, the council reaffirmed the concepts of the sacraments

of the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Extreme Unction (now Anointing of the Sick). According to

Britannica.com, “Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) was opposed to the council, but it was reinstated by

Pius IV (1559-65).” Not everyone agreed with the idea of the council, but those who were

passionate about the reform of the Church continued it and kept pushing for reform. Pope Pius

IV was one person who pushed for reform. The third part of the council defined the Mass as a

sacrifice, and reaffirmed doctrine on holy orders, matrimony, purgatory, indulgences, saints,

relics, and holy images such as paintings and icons. It also established seminaries, or schools for

training and educating Catholic men to become priests. This last part of the council was very

important to the Catholic Reformation because those were ideas and beliefs that the Lutherans

and Anglicans, or members of the Church of England founded by King Henry VIII, had

protested in the formation of these new religions. The Catholic Church now had clear, concise

rules to follow, and now they just had to put these new rules and reaffirmed beliefs into action.

The work and legacies of Ignatius of Loyola and Theresa of Avila greatly assisted this. Ignatius

of Loyola was born in Spain in 1491. He became a soldier, and in 1521, he was hit in the legs

with a cannonball. While recovering from the injury, which led to an amputation, he read about
the lives of Jesus and the saints. After recovery, Ignatius joined a monastery and became a very

devout Catholic. He founded the Jesuits, a group of priests that went out and educated people

about the faith, traveling across Europe, and eventually, around the world. They also helped slow

the spread of Protestantism in Europe. Ignatius died in 1556. Theresa of Avila was born in 1515

in Avila, Spain. She was rebellious as a child, and at 16, she was sent to a convent by her father.

After years of struggling with her faith, Theresa finally became pious and faithfully strong. She

founded her own order of nuns and many convents, all of which were strict. These forced nuns to

be more focused on God than worldly things, which was not very common prior to the Catholic

Reformation. Theresa of Avila died in 1582. Both she and Ignatius of Loyola were canonized, or

officially made saints, by the Catholic Church. The orders they founded helped to bring the

truths of Catholicism to Spain, Europe, and the world. Most importantly, the Catholic

Reformation was a success because the Church changed its ways. According to World History:

Connections to Today, “By 1600, Rome was a far more devout city than it had been 100 years

earlier.”. Since Rome was, and is to this day, the most important city of the Church and the place

of residence of the Pope, it is very important that it changed and was reformed. This led to the

inclination for people to do what was discussed at the Council of Trent. Indulgences were

eliminated, clergy began living simpler lives, and not as much money was spent on the

beautification of churches. The Catholic Reformation was a success.

Today, thanks to the Catholic Reformation, the clergy are living simple lives focused on

God and are more able to lead the people of the Catholic Church. The Church as a whole is a

great model for other religions to look to. After all, every Protestant religion came from

Catholicism. The Jesuits founded by Ignatius of Loyola are still active today, and they even run

some universities. Catholics are properly educated that only one’s faith and good works to others
will get one into heaven, not indulgences. Nuns live lives of sanctity and prayer, thanks to the

example and hard work of Theresa of Avila. Even though the United States was first ruled and

led by Anglicans and other Protestants with a Catholic minority, Catholicism is one of the most

popularly practiced religions in the country. Thanks to the success of the Catholic Reformation,

Catholicism has been able to be a major religion in the world, and an example for all to follow.