In 16th century Europe the Catholic Church had become extremely powerful, and with this power came corruption. Two men would change the direction of Europe forever. The first Martin Luther was the decisive leader of the Protestant Reformation and Saint Ignatius Loyola was the leader of the Counter-Reformation. These men did not know the impact they would have on Europe and the world, but in this essay I will explain who these men are and their impact on the world as we know it. Martin Luther was born in 1483. Catholic as that was the religion of the time. Marin Luther's life was predetermined to become a lawyer, but instead he chose the path of becoming a monk. He worked hard on the questions and his relationship with God. It was thought that a person had to do enough “good deeds” to be saved and enter heaven. The church had the practice of “selling indulgences,” which meant that the church sold the superabundance of good deeds that the saints themselves had accumulated. The church sold people access to this bank of good deeds and led them to believe they were buying access to heaven. These indulgences could be purchased for your past and future sins. The sale of indulgences to Martin Luther exposed the corruption of the churches. Martin Luther began to discuss the choices the church was making and began to question the limits of papal authority. Martin Luther was banished from the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther then wrote Against Catholicism in 1535. Martin Luther begins this text by explaining his disagreement between himself and the pope. He wrote this to explain his debate about why the papacy lost its way and to explain what the r...... middle of paper ...... Reformation and was led by Martin Luther, who initially he limited himself to writing a thesis in which he denounced part of the corruption of the Church. Martin Luther's writing, Against Catholicism, was a great catalyst for the Reformation and a complete change in Europe, which is still evident today in our economic methods and following of the Protestant faith. The Counter-Reformation was led by Saint Ignatius who led the Jesuit order of Catholicism. St. Ignatius was trying to restore the Catholic faith and get the Catholic people and the Church back on the right path. These writings were so consequential and very bold for their time, with Martin Luther openly denouncing the corruption of the Catholic Church and Saint Ignatius creating a new Catholic sect to bring the Church back on the right path. These two men, with their writings, changed the course of history.