THE BEAST RECEIVED A DEADLY WOUND; BUT HIS DEADLY WOUND WAS HEALED.

The historical tectonic shifts, such as the Great Schism, the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the French Revolution, which the Roman Catholic Church experienced, almost obliterated the seventh world empire due to their devastating impact. If that religious behemoth had been completely destroyed from the pages of ancient and modern history, such an event would have been an extraordinary development. All the other ancient world empires, including Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, the Medo-Persian Empire, Greece, and Rome, continue to exist today. But none of them enjoys the universal sway that they exercised during the time of their dominion. The Roman Catholic Church, however, continues to exert religious influence on a global scale. The black Pope, otherwise known as Ignatius Loyola, along with other movers and shakers of the Counter Reformation, can take credit for the continued existence of Roman Catholicism as we know it today.

Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 into a large, wealthy Spanish family. From a young age, he aspired to become a knight surrounded by fame and glory. He was hit in the leg by a cannonball in 1521, which shattered his career as a knight and his secular aspirations. During his recovery, he started reading about Christ and the lives of the saints. As he read, he came to realize that, under God’s leadership, he could still be a hero. He decided to lay down his weapon and armour at a statue of Mary as a physical sign of his conversion to a life of faith. In his thirties, he matriculated at a university not only to study Latin but also to receive an appropriate education that would equip him to teach and serve in a religious capacity. His influence was contagious. He formed a nucleus of friends who assembled frequently to study the bible and pray. Although the Inquisition accused him of heresy, since he was teaching people to pray and was not a priest, he was declared innocent and later released after spending forty-two days in prison.

As time progressed, Ignatius developed a deep spiritual life in which he sought God’s presence along with the divine approval in all things. He developed significant expertise in giving spiritual guidance to his friends. Together, Ignatius and his colleagues went on to found the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, which evolved from a group of 8 to 1000 members during his lifetime. The Jesuits focused on opening and operating educational institutions so that they could teach others how to discover God’s will for their lives. Saint Ignatius’s legacy of good deeds and adherence to God’s will continues to be an inspiration to Catholics worldwide. KOLBE ACADEMY: Who Was Ignatius Of Loyola? By Stacey Jarzynka 

1. The Catholic Counter-Reformation began in the mid-16th century as a direct response to the challenges posed by Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers, such as Melanchthon, Calvin, and Zwingli. Pope John Paul 111 (1534-1549) is considered the first pope of the Counter Reformation. He also initiated the Council of Trent (1545-1563). This ecclesiastical body was tasked with institutional reform, addressing contentious issues such as corrupt bishops and priests, the sale of indulgences, and other financial abuses.
2. Key outcomes of the Counter-Reformation included the establishment of the Index of Forbidden Books, which sought to control and limit access to literature deemed heretical. This index was compiled by official sensors and was an implementation of one part of the teaching of the Catholic Church: to prevent the contamination of the faith, or the corruption of morals, through the reading of theologically erroneous or immoral books. Certain translations of the bible were included in this index.
3. The Council of Trent reaffirmed core Catholic doctrines such as transubstantiation, the importance of tradition alongside scripture, and the necessity of good works for salvation.
4. The Jesuit order, which had a profound impact on Roman Catholicism, became instrumental in spreading Catholicism globally through education, as a means to counteract protestantism. Through their missions, they emphasized discipline and a focus on intellectual rigor, significantly impacting areas like Asia and Latin America.
5. The Counter-Reformation not only sought to reform internal Church practices but also involved aggressive campaigns against Protestant regions, contributing to religious conflicts like the Thirty Years’ War. AP WORLD HISTORY: Catholic Counter-Reformation