What Was the Counter-Reformation? What You Should Know

The Counter-Reformation was the Catholic Church’s well-thought out and intentional response to the Protestant Reformation. 

After Martin Luther and several other critics of the church rose to challenge some Catholic doctrines, they were exiled and even excommunicated from the church. This didn’t stop the exodus from the Catholic Church, however, and whole nations turned to Protestantism. 

In the mid 1500’s Catholic leaders recognized how these widespread calls for reform demanded action. They held the Council of Trent to adjust and clarify doctrine, and to correct abuses. Later known as the Counter-Revolution, this didn’t simply oppose Protestant ideas. The Catholic leaders sought to restore trust and integrity within the Catholic Church, hoping to return to their world mission. 

The Counter-Revolution not only took Catholicism through a major transformation, but it also changed Christianity as a whole. The Council of Trent clarified the differences between Catholic and Protestant beliefs while also encouraging reform. 

It all started, of course, with the Protestant Reformation. 

What Was the Protestant Reformation? 

While many Catholic leaders and priests began to critique certain church practices, the Protestant Reformation officially began when Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, nailed his 95 Theses to a church door in 1517, challenging Catholic teachings and practices. He criticized abuses like the selling of indulgences, and questioned the Church’s authority to grant forgiveness and absolution. His call for reform spread rapidly through the new printing press, and he influenced debate across Europe about faith, power, and salvation. 

• At the core, the Reformation argued for a return to scriptural truth. This included doctrines such as salvation by grace and faith alone (sola gratia and sola fide), rather than by human works or church rituals. Since the Reformers believed Scripture alone to serve as the guide to Christian life and practice, they began translating the Bible into local languages so ordinary people could read it for themselves, instead of the Latin used in the Catholic Church, which very few could read. As these ideas spread, leaders arose. Reformers like John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli developed different strands of Protestant theology. 
• The Reformation caused major change in Western Christianity. Entire regions and nations broke away from the Catholic Church and formed new churches, such as Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and later Baptist and Methodist. These new movements prioritized biblical preaching, reading the Bible, personal faith, and a simplified form of worship, although many would still be considered liturgical today. They gave believers more personal responsibility for their individual lives of faith.
• Beyond theology and church organization, the Reformation changed politics, as rulers and nations aligned with either Protestant or Catholic churches, leading to conflict and eventual ideas of religious freedom. Even further, the Reformation instigated social and cultural transformation. Along with the printing press, literacy grew, and new ideas taught how all work, not just ministry, could honor God, dignifying all people. Education grew as Reformers built schools.
  
  

The Reformation helped shape our modern ideas of individual conscience, limited power of government and religion, and religious freedom and diversity. 

How Did the Catholic Church Respond to the Reformation? 

The Catholic Church felt threatened by Reformers like Martin Luther. When Protestant ideas started spreading, Church leaders faced not only a theological challenge but a major political one. The Catholic Church, with the Pope and local bishops, had great political and cultural power across Europe. To challenge the Church threatened their worldly position and presented a political crisis. 

Reformers were summarily excommunicated or exiled. The Catholic Church even hunted Luther down through partner states for trying to translate the Bible into German. Other local leaders physically protected him. 

• Politically—Many European rulers supported the Reformers for religious and political reasons. Some agreed with their theology; others saw it as a way to be independent of the Catholic influence and power. In response, the papacy worked with Catholic kings and queens to preserve their partnerships, resisting the Protestant movement. Alliances formed between Rome and nations like Spain, France, and some Italian states. These partnerships tried to protect the Catholic political territories and keep some form of unity. 
• Theologically—At the same time, Catholic theologians went to work, defending their beliefs. They wrote and argued against Protestant teachings and for the long-standing authority of the Church. Catholic scholars supported the importance of the sacraments and the harmony between the Bible and Church tradition. They not only tried to refute Protestant claims but also to explain Catholic doctrine in an era when more people could read and explore for themselves. Local priests taught devotion, moral discipline, and the Church’s rich heritage. 
• From Within—As more regions and congregants broke away, and Protestant numbers grew, the Catholic Church recognized their theological defense wasn’t enough. They needed to directly address the abuses and weaknesses that had contributed to the criticism. This understanding led to the movement known as the Counter-Reformation. Rather than only opposing Protestants, the Church tried to renew its own teachings and mission work. The Church started implementing their own reforms within, including changes in discipline, education, and how they cared for the people. 

What Changes Did the Catholic Church Make During the Counter-Reformation? 

Rather than collapsing under Protestant criticism, the Church used the moment to make sweeping changes that revitalized Catholicism.

As mentioned earlier, a core event during the Counter-Revolution was the Council of Trent (1545-1563). This major gathering of bishops and theologians met for almost twenty years, discussing responses to the Reformation and changes that needed to be made. The council clarified main doctrines such as:

• the dual authority of Scripture and tradition
• the necessity of grace
• the central requirements of the seven sacraments

They firmly rejected some Protestant teachings. While it reaffirmed Catholic theology, the Council of Trent further addressed moral and structural problems. The gathering condemned abuses such as:

• selling indulgences (paying the church money to get family or friends out of purgatory)
• established higher moral standards for bishops, who had been accused of using church power for their own wealth
• developed better training for priests, helping to educate a more disciplined clergy.
  
  

For the ordinary Catholic, the Counter-Revolution changed their daily practice in several ways. New seminaries taught priests how to preach Scripture clearly (to compete with Protestant preaching) and care for the people more personally. Worship became more consistent across the different regions. Catechisms helped Christians understand core Church teachings. Catholics started encouraging greater personal devotion through prayer and participating in the local parish.

As these new seminaries emerged, the Counter-Revolution produced more religious orders that revived Catholic faith and spirituality. The Jesuits, Capuchins, and Ursulines prioritized education, missionary work, and charity. These groups encouraged and strengthened Catholic communities across Europe and spread their influence across the world. They even impacted art, architecture, and music through these new orders.

How Did the Counter-Reformation Affect Protestant Movements Going Forward? 

The Counter-Revolution also influenced the future Protestant movements and Christianity in general. As the Catholic Church reformed, many traditional Catholics remained loyal. Protestants faced new resistance to their ideas. In many regions, Protestant growth slowed down. Not because the message changed, but because Catholics actually started addressing some of the major criticisms that had driven people away in the first place. 

The Catholic changes made it more difficult for Protestants to criticize the Church on moral or theological grounds. Protestants encountered well-trained priests and theologians who could defend their traditions well. This stabilized Catholic areas and congregations, especially in southern Europe, France, and Poland. At the same time, Protestantism lost momentum. 

Protestants had initially grown as a “protest” against the Catholic system. As the Church improved and reformed, Reformers had to further develop their own doctrines and education, basing their movement less on the challenge of the older ways. 

When the Counter-Revolution happened, addressing abuses, it helped Catholicism maintain and strengthen its political influence in Europe. Catholic monarchs found new motivation to partner with and support Rome. Through these alliances and a new passion for missionary work (through the new orders), Catholic leaders even reclaimed some areas that had drifted to Protestantism. Jesuit teachers played a main role in building better Catholic leaders and building loyalty among the nobility. 

The Council of Trent clarified Catholic beliefs, and this forced Protestants to recognize how divided the two traditions would continue to be. The council may have addressed some abuses, but it still affirmed spiritual authority in the Pope and Church, equal to Scripture. Protestants found new energy and urgency to clarify their own confessions of faith and organize their churches better. 

Ultimately, because of the Counter-Revolution, Protestant growth slowed in Europe, although new groups exploded into the American Colonies. 

What Lasting Impact Did the Counter-Revolution Have? 

The Protestant Reformation introduced something Catholics didn’t have for centuries: competition. This threat to their influence and power forced Catholics to take a serious self-evaluation regarding their own practices, theology, and mission. Since they decided to make some needed changes, the Counter-Reformation left lasting impacts that continue to define Catholic churches today. 

Before the Reformation, and without the threat and competition, the Catholic Church had been corrupt and abusive. While the Counter-Reformation didn’t remove all corruption, the changes forced Catholics to reform and be more effective in several ways. They became less oppressive, more missional, and more educational. Much of Catholic liturgy, the practice of the sacraments, and devotional life hearkens back to the Counter-Reformation. 

The new religious orders still exist today and have major influence. The growing focus on the arts also continues today. The Council of Trent set foundational boundaries between Catholic and Protestants. Catholic theological schools and movements support and affirm their doctrine and practice. 

In a broader sense, because Catholicism didn’t fold after Protestantism, the Counter-Revolution helped Catholics exist in a world where a number of Christian traditions coexist. Christianity ultimately became more diverse and global. Protestant and Catholic traditions both developed stronger institutions, schools, and missionary movements. Instead of the oppressive, corrupt, one system of Catholicism, the world now has more varied options for Christian orthopraxy and even orthodoxy. This can be negative and positive, but it has created more dialogue, competition, innovation, and less power over people, even among Catholics. 

If Catholicism had folded, Christianity may have lost much of the beautiful history of the saints and leaders over centuries. The reforms helped keep their stories and traditions within Christianity as a whole. 

The Counter-Reformation strengthened Catholicism, helping them endure, and expanded Christian influence around the world. Those reforms still influence how people of all Christian denominations worship, learn, and practice their faith today. 

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/diego_cervo

Britt Mooney lives and tells great stories. As an author of fiction and non-fiction, he is passionate about teaching ministries and nonprofits the power of storytelling to inspire and spread truth. Mooney has a podcast called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author of We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth as well as Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight.