Reforms in the Catholic Church

Francis of Assisi

1181

He was the founder of the Franciscan Order. He emphasized poverty and humility by living among the poor by choice and rejecting the hierarchical structures of the Church. He was also passionate about preaching and evangelization.

John Wycliffe

1327

He wanted to implement reforms in the Catholic Church through his theological writings.He wanted the Bible to be accessible for the common people by translating it. He rejected the Papal Authority and he put a great emphasis on preaching and spreading his theological teachings. By doing this he had a huge influence on later reformers.

Jan Hus

1369

He attempted to bring reforms by preaching in the vernacular language thus common people would understand. Hus called for instittional reforms within the Catholic Church. This meant transparency, accountability and the hierarchical of the Church was based on simplicity and humility.

Martin Luther

1483

He translated the Bible into german which allowed ordinary people to read it.He emphasized the doctrine of justification by faith. He also rejected the Papal Authority and established Lutheran Churches. Luther also tried to reform education. He sent his theses to the bishop

Thomas Müntzer

1488

He advocated for a personal faith. He embraced millenarian beliefs. His theology had a huge role in the reforms and he also helped with social justice.

Ignatius of Loyola

1491

He founded the Society of Jesus. He placed emphasis on education and intellectual rigor within the Jesuit order. He established schools, universities and colleges. He also started spiritual exercising that became widely used for spiritual formation and renewal of the Catholic Church

John Calvin

1509

He implemented reforms primarily through his theological writings, his most infliential work was the "Institutes of the Christian Religion". He established schools and academies to train ministers.Calvin advocated for ethical behavior.

Michael Servetus

1511

He rejected the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity and he was critical of the sacraments and rituals of the Catholic Church . His reforms were characterized by advocacy for religious liberty and willingness to challenge established religious authorities