The Counter-Reformation was a movement within the Roman Catholic Church which began in the 1500s. It covered the following five areas:

1. Doctrine (ideology)
2. Ecclesiastical or Structural Reconfiguration
3. Religious orders
4. Spiritual Movements
5. Political Dimensions

The Counter-Reformation began after Martin Luther's Reformation. In reaction, Catholics reaffirmed some points of faith that the Protestants' objections had put in danger. These included the validity of the seven sacraments. The Protestants had reduced the sacraments to only two, Baptism and the Eucharist. Protestants deny the doctrine of transubstantiation, which is seen as making Mass less important. Some reformation era groups had rejected the Mass entirely. Luther's view was somewhere between that of the more radical reformers and the Catholic view. Luther wrote that without faith neither Baptism nor the Eucharist is sufficient for salvation. The Counter-Reformation specifically re-affirmed the Catholic understanding of the mass.