The Counter-Reformation was the Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation, including but not limited to the Council of Trent, the Inquisition, and the Index.
exacerbate
Make a bad situation worse.
what "situation"?
The conflict between Protestant and Catholic. The vitriol, the hatred, and the violence.
that Protestant sloganeering proves nothing; it just make the slogan-sayers feel happier and more secure.
The Protestants had no corner on sloganeering.
Ok, got it. I agree with you. Next?
The Spanish Inquisition predated the Reformation by several years, and was not primarily directed at Protestants.
What other Inquisition are you thinking of?