5.1: The Initial Catholic Church Reaction

Luther and his followers readily embraced the printing press to spread the movement's message across Europe. Initially, most members of the Church hierarchy were overwhelmed and bewildered by the emergence of Protestantism. The past heresies had remained limited in scope as compared with the incredible rapidity with which Lutheranism spread. At first, and for practical political reasons, the pope and various rulers were either unwilling or able to use force to crack down on Protestantism.

In historical hindsight, the shocking aspect of the Catholic Church’s initial reaction was that there was no reaction. For decades, popes remained focused on the politics of Central Italy or simply continued beautifying Rome and enjoying a life of luxury. Likewise, there was no widespread awareness among most Church officials that anything out of the ordinary was taking place with Luther. Despite the radicalism of his position, most of the clergy assumed that Lutheranism was a “flash in the pan,” doomed to fade back into obscurity in the end. By the 1540s, however, church officials began to take the threat posed by Protestantism more seriously.

The initial period of the Catholic Reformation (c. 1540 – 1550) was a fairly moderate one that aimed to bring Protestants back into the fold. Many people felt it difficult to have a permanent break from the Church and Rome. After it became clear that the split was permanent, the Church itself became much more hardline and intolerant. The subsequent reforms were as much about imposing a new internal discipline as they were about making membership appealing to lay Catholics.

Habit, ritual, organization, discipline, hierarchy, and wealth all worked to preserve the Church’s power and influence. Likewise, many princes realized that Protestantism often led to political problems in their territories. German princes, who had originally supported Luther in order to protect their own political independence, were worried about having independent-minded denominations in their territories, some of which might reject worldly authority completely.

At all levels of the social hierarchy, Catholic rituals were comforting and appealing. The Catholic Reformation is often associated with the “baroque” style of art and music, which encouraged an emotional connection with Catholic ritual and, potentially, with the experience of faith itself. The Church continued to fund huge building projects and lavish artwork, much of which was aimed to appeal to laypeople, not just serve as pretty decorations for high-ranking churchmen.

Likewise, there was a wave of Protestant conversions that spread very rapidly by the 1530s. However, as the Protestant denominations splintered off and turned on one another, the “purity” of the appeal of Protestantism faded. In other words, when Protestants began fighting each other, there was no longer a clear and simple alternative to Roman corruption.