The Council of Trent

The Council of Trent (Latin Concilium Tridentinum) was the 15th-century worldwide Council of the popish Catholic church building. It is considered to be one of the performs most important1 councils. It convened in Trent (then not bad(p) of the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, inside the beatified Roman Empire, now in modern Italy) between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods. Council fathers met for the first through eighth sessions in Trent (1545-1547), and for the ninth through eleventh sessions in Bologna (1547) during the pontificate of pope Paul III. 2 Under Pope Julius III, the council met in Trent (1551-1552) for the twelfth through sixteenth sessions. Under Pope Pius IV the seventeenth through twenty-fifth sessions took place in Trent (1559-1563). The council issued condemnations on what it define as Protestant heresies and defined Church teachings in the areas of Scripture and Tradition, Original Sin, Justification, Sacraments, t he Eucharist in Holy Mass and the veneration of saints. It issued numerous reform decrees. 3 By specifying Catholic doctrine on salvation, the sacraments, and the Biblical canon, the Council was respond Protestant disputes. 1 The Council entrusted to the Pope the implementation of its work as a result, Pope Pius V issued in 1566 the Roman Catechism, in 1568 a revise Roman Breviary, and in 1570 a revised Roman Missal, thus initiating what since the 20th century has been called the Tridentine Mass (from the citys Latin name Tridentum), and Pope Clement VIII issued in 1592 a revised edition of the Vulgate. 4 The Council of Trent, delayed and interrupted several times because of political or religious disagreements, was a study reform council and the most impressive embodiment of the ideals of the Counter-Reformation. 4 It would be over 300 years until the next Ecumenical Council. When announcing Vatican II, Pope John XXIII stated that the precepts of the Council of Trent continue to the modern day, a position that was reaffirmed by Pope Paul VI. 5The Council of TrentThe Council of Trent was an ecumenical council convoked by the Church in 1545 and ran until 1563. It was convoked by Pope Paull III just proceed by Popes Julius III and Pius IV. The purpose of the council was to address the grwonig threat presented by the rising Protestant movement which was promptly spreading all over Europe, winning believers to their side and threatening the very world of the Catohlic Church and faith.It was convoked when the Church realized that the Reformation was a serious threat as it involved several secular leadership whom Martin Luther had won over to his side and it was no longer a mere theological debate but had social and political implications at this point in time. In a way, the Council had somehow succeeded in acquire the Church from its medieval depict and bring it into the modern times which would be followed up by subsequenct councils, the startle and Sec ond Vatican Councils (McNally 36). The Council addressed the issues that spurred the Protestants into action.One particular issue that the Council did address was the apparent corruption in the Church as an institution including the sale of indulgences which triggered Luthers rebellion (Mendham 317). The Council abolished several of these illegal practices and introduced or recommended disciplinary reforms providing a provision politics the conduct of the religious, particularly those belonging to monastic and mendicant orders where they shall order their lives in accordance to what is prescribed by the rule which they have professed. The result of this was it checked corruption in the Church and helped resideore back to rudiments policies where the religious were reminded to incite the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience that they took upon entering the orders after years of strife affected the Church leading it to be infiltrated and influenced by political figures which ch anged its direction and led to the near-loss of its credibility. In addition, it also led to besides education of the clergy and the codfication of religious orders (Roman Catholic Church, Session 25 Fisher 402).But this was the only correction the Church made. The rest were reaffirmations of other church traditions that hardly changed at all. These were considered part of Church traditions which Protestants opposed, believing that they were invented by Catholics as Protestants offer to sol scriptura, relying on the Bible as their source of tradition. Among them were the sacraments where Protestants found most of them unecessary yet the Church upheld it.They thin the issue on the saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary by stating that they are only to be venerated, not worshipped, something Protestants accused Catholics, charging that this was bordering on idolatry or paganism, as well as stressing the necessity of good deeds to go with ones faith rather than relying on faith alone. They made use of the Bible in fend for the practice of the sacraments, stating they were not inventions and were stated in Scripture though implicit (Madrid 111).Another issue that was upheld was the infalliability of the Pope. Notwithstanding the scandals that undermined the image of the papacy, the Council upheld the Popes place as the Vicar of Christ and the head of all Christendom. It can be inferred here that there was subdued the need of a leader who could transcend spiritual and secular realms, especially during this time when Reformation brought more than upheavals and instability (Luebke 45, Madrid 44-53).As an epliogue, this was addressed once again in the Second Vatican Council in 1963 and the infallibility issue was indomitable once and for all here. In conclusion, the Council of Trent cannot be entirely credited in ensuring the survival and continued existence of the Catholic faith but was rather part of the Counter-Reformation that had somewhat checked the spread of Protestantism.It was able to uphold and defend the traditions the Church regard as part of professing ones faith, thereby throwing back the accusations Protestants hurled at it for creation on the wrong side of faith. As a parting shot, Catholic apologists in the Council of Trent and beyond, have riposted Protestant arguments by stating (ironically) that there existence was because of the Church and had there been no Church, they never would have existed at all. plant life Cited Fisher, George P.The Reformation. Bibliobazaar, 2009. Madrid, Patrick. Where Is That in Tradition? Huntington, Indiana Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2002. McNally, Robert E. , SJ. The Council of Trent, The Spiritual Exercises and Catholic Reform. Church History 34. 1 (1965) 36-49. Medham, Joseph. Memoirs of the Council of Trent. London James Duncan, 1834. Roman Catholic Church. The Council of Trent. 1545. Hanover College. 14 Aug. 2010 .