In the midst of various reforms taking place on the European continent, the Catholic reform began to gain momentum between 1545 and 1563. At that time the Council of Trent was held, which was intended to affirm more emphatically ecclesiastical discipline and unity of the Catholic faith.
Among the decisions of the council were the reorganization of the Holy Office Court, the creation of the Society of Jesus and the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, which was a list of books prohibited by the Church. In addition, there was an increase in the encouragement of the catechization of the natives of the New World, the adoption of the Vulgate as an official form of biblical translation and the reaffirmation of values such as papal celibacy and the pope's authority. According to some historians, these decisions were a reaction to Lutheranism.
Between other reaffirmations found in the Catholic Reformation is the preservation of the representation of saints through images that were worshiped. The Baroque becomes a great ally of the Church in this regard, helping to broaden the sentiment of Catholics through works of art. At that time seminaries were created in order to invest in the intellectual education of bishops who, before the counter-reform, lead a life without rules and many excesses.