Day 4: Counter-Reformation and Inquisition

            Martin Luther and John Calvin have had acts of reformation for the Church, including both their developments in Lutheranism and Calvinism.  However, there is a counter-reformation going on by the Church in order to keep followers.  Pope Paul III was slow to react to the decreased number of Catholic followers, however he did react.  He called a Council meeting – Council of Trent. Pope, Bishops and Clerks took part in this series of council meetings.  When the Council was called, there was excitement and hope in Christians because the Council could potentially amalgamate and reconcile all the Christian ideas into one Doctrine.  This could put an end to the turmoil in Christian strife.  However, Pope Paul III was determined to not make any compromises with the Protestants, he wanted to keep Roman Catholicism the same.  He wanted to destroy the movement of the reformation brought by Martin Luther and John Calvin.  I was able to attend a speech in Rome where they announced what they had accomplished in the Council of Trent.  At the end of the 3 meetings, the Council of Trent reinforced the idea of transubstantiation which is the Body and Blood of Christ.  They also tried to reinforce the Catholic Free Will.  The downfall of these accomplishments was all the decisions were what the Pope wanted, so it did not benefit any Protestants what so ever.  This frustrated me because I knew the importance of the Protestant movement and how they wanted to have their own voice that Luther and Calvin developed for their people. 
            The repercussions of the Council of Trent were that the Pope became extremely angry and frustrated with the Protestant movement.  Military crackdowns began taking place on Protestants from Hapsburgs.  These military crackdowns lead to an unexpected inquisition.
            As I sit in my room, I read and hear about the Inquisition that is currently taking place.  My Secret Service is taking me into hiding for my protection because of the increased violence around Europe.  The inquisition arose from the desire to maintain orthodoxy.  Protestants were generally assumed guilty which perverted justice.  This main inquisition was lead by Torquemada; who has Royal support from the Pope.  Torquemada succeeded in expelling 200,000 Jews from Spain in response to Catholic anti-Semitism movements.  These vicious movements are violent, and uncalled for.  I truly fear for the Protestants of Europe! But because I come from the future, I know that Protestants remain alive and strong because it is such a huge part of the United States’ Christianity; this gives me a little peace of mind.