¢ Jesuits founded schools and colleges to educate the sons of the wealthy. Gonzaga College in Dublin, Clongowes Wood College in Kildare and Crescent College in Limerick are examples of Jesuit schools in Ireland.
¢ The Jesuits hoped to spread the Catholic faith both in Europe and also across Africa and Asia. The most famous Jesuit missionary was St Francis Xavier (1506-52) who travelled to places like Japan and Malaysia to spread Catholic teachings.
2. The Courts of Inquisition
In an attempt to stop the spread of Protestantism, Courts of Inquisition were established to try those accused of heresy (having beliefs that are in conflict with the teachings of a religion – in this case the Catholic religion). These courts were particularly important in Italy and Spain. Using torture, people were forced to confess to heresy and then had to wear a yellow garment called a San Benito. They could also be whipped. If people refused to confess, they were sometimes publicly executed by being burnt at the stake in the town square. This punishment was called an auto-da-fé. The methods of the Inquisitions were widely criticised by the Protestant churches but were reasonably successful in removing any opponents of the Catholic Church in these countries.
3. The Council of Trent
Between 1545 and 1563 Catholic cardinals and bishops met at Trentino in Italy to decide on reforms for the Catholic Church. These meetings looked at matters relating to Discipline (how the church was organised) and Doctrine (the beliefs of the church).
Discipline: (a) Absenteeism, pluralism, simony and nepotism were outlawed.
(b) Seminaries were established. These were places that ensured the proper training of priests.
Fig 7.15 The punishment called auto-da-fé whereby people who refused to confess to heresy were burnt at the stake in their town square. Heretics wore tunics and tall hats called san benito with images of flames and dragons to signify if they had repented or not.
DiScOvErInG HiS OrY
Fig 7.16 The Council of Trent at which Catholic cardinals and bishops decided on how to reform the Catholic Church.
(c) A new Catechism (instructions on the religious beliefs of the church) was written which outlined the beliefs of the church in a question-and- answer format. All Catholics were to be taught through this method.