Catholic+Church+Before+and+After+the+Reformation

On the Eve of the Reformation,** The Church received constant criticism for its corupt actions. Many popes were too busy pursuing worldly affairs to fulfill spiritual duties. Priests and Monks were poorly educated and could scarcely read, let alone teach the faith. Many broke their vows by marrying, gambling, and performing other blasphemous acts against church doctrine.
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**After the Reformation,** The Catholic Church made attempts to keep their followers loyal. This movement was known as the Catholic or Counter Reformation. Pope Paul III founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, who focused on the conversion of non-Christians into Catholiscism, stopping the spread of Protestantism, and teaching the Christian faith. Pope Paul III also directed a council of cardinals to investigate the selling of indulgences and other abuses in the church. He also used the Inquisition to seek out heresy in the papal authority. Perhaps his most crucial accomplishment was his calling of the Council of Trent. The council met in three separate sessions and agreed on several doctrines:

1. The Church's interpretation of the Bible was final. Any Christian who substituted his or her own interpretation was a heretic. 2. Christians needed faith to and good works for salvation, they were not saved by faith alone. 3. The Bible and Church tradition were equally powerful authorities for guding Christian life. 4. Indulgences were valid; expressions of faith. But the false selling of indulgences were banned.

The successor of Paul III, Pope Paul IV, continued to carry out the council's decrees. In 1559, he had officials compose a list of books considered to be dangerous to the Catholic faith, known as the Index of Forbidden Books. These books were then ordered to be burned.