Reformation and Counter-Reformation

Paul III.

When all seemed lost salvation was near. Even under the two Medici popes the way which was to lead to better things had been silently paved within the Church. Under Leo X. himself there had been formed in Rome, in the Oratory of the Divine Love, a body of excellent men of strictly Catholic sentiments. It was by members of this Oratory—especially St. Gaetano di Tiene, Carafa (later Paul IV.), and the great bishop of Verona, Giberti—that the foundations of the Catholic reformation were laid. Under Clement VII. the establishment of new religious orders—Theatines, Somascians, Barnabites and Capuchins—had sown the seeds of a new life in the ancient Church. The harvest3 was reaped during the long pontificate of the Farnese pope, Paul III• With his accession devotion to religion and the Church began to regain their old mastery. True, Paul III.

was not a representative of the Catholic reformation, in the full sense of the words. In many points, especially his great nepotism —witness the promotion of the worthless Pier Luigi Farnese—he remained, even as pope, a true child of the Renaissance period in which he had risen to greatness. Nevertheless he possessed the necessary adaptability and acumen to enable him to do justice to the demands of the new age, which imperatively demanded that the interests of the Church should be the first consideration. Thus, in the course of his long reign he did valuable work in the cause of the Catholic reformation and prepared the way for the Catholic restoration. It was he who regenerated the college of cardinals by leavening it with men of ability, who took in hand the reform of the Curia, confirmed the Jesuit order, and finally brought the Council of Trent into existence (sessions I.–X. of the council, first period, 2545-1549). In order to check the progress of Protestantism in Italy Paul III. founded the Congregation of the Inquisition (1542). Political differences, and the transference of the council to Bologna in 1547, brought the pope into sharp collision with the emperor, who now attempted by means of the Interim to regulate the religious affairs of Germany according to his wishes—but in vain. The disobedience of his favourite Otta vio hastened the death of the old pope (Nov. I 0, Under the Farnese pope art enjoyed an Indian summer. The most important work for which he was responsible is the "Last Judgment" of Michelangelo in the Sistine chapel. In 1547 Michel angelo was further entrusted with the superintendence of the reconstruction of St. Peter's. He utilized his power by rejecting the innovations of Antonio da Sangallo, saved the plan of Bra mante, and left behind him sufficient drawings to serve the com pletion of the famous cupola. Titian painted Paul's portrait, and Guglielmo della Porta cast the bronze statue which now adorns his grave in St. Peter's.

Julius III.

Af ter a protracted conclave Giovanni Maria del Monte was elected as Pope Julius III. (1550-1555). He submitted to the emperor's demands and again convened the council (sessions XI.–XVI., second period), but was obliged to suspend it on April 22, 1552, in consequence of the war between Charles V. and Maurice of Saxony. From this time onwards the pope failed to exhibit requisite energy. In his beautiful villa

before the Porta del Popolo he sought to banish political and ecclesiastical anxieties from his mind. Yet even now he was not wholly inactive. The religious affairs of England especially en gaged his attention; and the nomination of Cardinal Pole as his legate to that country, on the death of Edward VI. (1553), was an extremely adroit step. That the measure was fruitless was not the fault of Julius III., who died on March 23, 1555.

The feeble regime of Julius had made it evident that a pope of another type was necessary if the papal see were to preserve the moral and political influence which it had regained under Paul III. On April io, 1555, after a conclave which lasted five days, the reform party secured the election of the distinguished Marcellus II. Unfortunately, on May 1, an attack of apoplexy cut short the life of this pope, who seemed peculiarly adapted for the reformation of the Church.

Paul IV.

On May 23, 1555, Gian Pietro Carafa, the strict est of the strict, was elected under the title of Paul IV. Though already 79 years of age, he was animated by the fiery zeal of youth, and he employed the most drastic methods for executing the necessary reforms and combating the advance of Protestantism. Always an opponent of the Spaniards, Paul IV., in the most violent and impolitic fashion, declared against the Habsburgs. The conflict with the Colonna was soon followed by the war with Spain, which, in spite of the French alliane, ended so disastrously, in 1557, that the pope hencefor ward devoted himself exclusively to ecclesiastical affairs. The sequel was the end of the nepotism and the relentless prosecution of reform within the Church. Protestantism was successfully eradicated in Italy ; but the pope failed to prevent the secession of England. After his death the rigour of the Inquisition gave rise to an insurrection in Rome. The Venetian ambassador says of Paul IV. that, although all feared his strictness, all venerated his learning and wisdom.

The reaction against the iron administration of Paul IV. ex plains the fact that, after his decease, a more worldly-minded pope was again elected in the person of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo de' Medici—Pius IV. (1559-1565). In striking contrast to his predecessor he favoured the Habsburgs. A suit was instituted against the Carafa, and Cardinal Carafa was even executed. To his own relatives, however, Pius IV. accorded no great influence, the advancement of his distinguished nephew, Carlo Borromeo (q.v.) being singularly fortunate for the Church. The most important act of his reign was the reassembling of the Council of Trent (sessions XVII.–XXV., third period, 1562-63). It was an impressive moment, when, on Dec. 4, 1563, the great oecumenical synod of the Church came to a close. Till the last it was obliged to contend with the most formidable difficulties: yet it succeeded in effecting many notable reforms and in illuminating and crystal lizing the distinctive doctrines of Catholicism. The breach with the Protestant Reformation was now final, and all Catholics felt themselves once more brought into intimate connection with the centre of unity at Rome. (See TRENT, COUNCIL OF.)