It is called Catholic Reformation or Counter-Reformation to the response of the Catholic Church given to the Protestant reform of Martin Luther, which had weakened the Church. It denotes the period of Catholic resurgence since the Ecumenical Council of Trent in 1545; the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 until the end of the Thirty Years War, in 1648. The anti-Protestant acts after the seventeenth century are called anti-Protestantism.
From 1518, the German Protestants demanded the convocation of a German council, and the Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire tried to close the differences between Catholics and reformers to face the Turkish threat. In the Diet of Worms (1521) tried to settle the disputes, but without success: Martin Luther (whom Charles V allowed to be summoned to the Diet) accused Rome of exercising tyranny, and the Emperor promised in writing to defend the Catholic faith, even with weapons. In the later Diets, the German princes, both Protestant and Catholic, continued to insist on a council.
The objectives of the counter-reform were to renew the Church and prevent the advance of Protestant doctrines.
He focused mainly on five aspects:
1. Doctrine.
2. Ecclesiastical restructuring, with the foundation of seminars.
3. Reform of religious orders, making them return to their traditional origins.
4. Surveillance of spiritual movements, focusing on the godly life and in a personal relationship with a priest, and this, with Christ.
5. Creation of the Roman Inquisition and management of it.
The new religious orders were a fundamental part of the reform. Orders such as the Capuchins, Discalced Carmelites, Ursulines, Theatines, Paulists or Jesuits consolidated the rural parishes, helped to consolidate popular piety through example and the care of the poor and the sick. His dedication to works of mercy exemplifies the Catholic reaffirmation of salvation through faith and works, and denying the Lutheran idea of salvation only through faith. Not only did they make the Church more effective, they reaffirmed the fundamental premises of the medieval Church.
