The Reform of Catholicism

Guy Bedouelle's study introduces nuances to earlier books on this subject by demonstrating how reform within the Roman Church owed much to a ferment and co-ordination of action emanating from its traditional geographic and jurisdictional centre, Rome. But, after showing how the Council of Trent legislated reform in the Church and empowered structures to carry it out, Bedouelle also highlights the actions of dedicated men and women to bring about a renewed spirit in the Church and in society - a 'Catholicism' which, at least in some aspects, paralleled the way other Christians constituted a 'Lutheranism', a 'Calvinism', or an 'Anglicanism'. Previewing the book, one historian remarked: 'It is a long time since I have read a book manuscript in which the objectives are so clearly set out and concisely met. ... Within the space of just a few hours the reader has been provided with an impressively cogent tour d'horizon which has simply no rivals in what is now an increasingly crowded field. ... [It is] an excellent introduction to early modern Catholicism for undergraduates from departments of History, Theology or Religious Studies [and] also plugs an important gap in the market for the interested layman.'