The Council of Trent

The Council of Trent (Latin Concilium Tridentinum) was the 15th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic church service. It is con situationred to be one of the churchs most important1 councils. It convened in Trent (then capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, inside the devoted Roman Empire, now in modern Italy) between celestial latitude 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 pontiff capital of Minnesota terce. 2 Under Pope Julius III, the council met in Trent (1551-1552) for the twelfth through ordinal sessions. Under Pope Pius IV the seventeenth through twenty-fifth sessions took personate in Trent (1559-1563). The council issued condemnations on what it defined as Protestant heresies and defined church teachings in the areas of Scripture and Tradition, Original Sin, Justification, Sacraments, the Eucharist in Holy pickle 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 answering 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 revised Roman Breviary, and in 1570 a revised Roman Missal, therefrom initiating what since the twentieth century has been c on the whole(prenominal)ed the Tridentine Mass (from the citys Latin name Tridentum), and Pope benevolent VIII issued in 1592 a revised edition of the Vulgate. 4 The Council of Trent, delayed and interrupt several fourth dimensions 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 ccc years until the next Ecumenical Council. When announcing Vatican II, Pope John XXIII give tongue to 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 exactly go along by Popes Julius III and Pius IV. The purpose of the council was to address the grwonig holy terror presented by the rising Protestant movement which was rapidly spreading all over Europe, winning believers to their side and threatening the very existence of the Catohlic perform and faith.It was convoked when the Church realized that the Reformation was a serious threat as it involved several secular leaders 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 getting the Church from its medieval image and aim it into the modern times which would be followed up by subsequenct councils, the First and import 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 governing the conduct of the religious, peculiarly those belonging to monastic and mendicant orders where they shall order their lives in accordance to what is inflict by the rule which they have professed. The result of this was it checked corruption in the Church and helped restore back to basics policies where the religious were reminded to uphold the vows of poverty, honesty and obedience that they took upon entering the orders after years of strife af fected the Church leading it to be infiltrated and influenced by political figures which changed its direction and led to the near-loss of its credibility. In addition, it also led to further 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 some 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 subscribed to sol scriptura, relying on the Bible as their beginning of tradition. Among them were the sacraments where Protestants found most of them unecessary yet the Church upheld it.They clarified 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 salutary as stressing the necessity of good works to go with ones faith quite an than relying on faith alone. They made use of the Bible in argue the practice of the sacraments, stating they were not inventions and were stated in Scripture though tacit (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 idea of all Christendom. It can be inferred here that there was still the lack of a leader who could transcend spiritual and secular realms, especially during this time when Reformation brought more 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 resolved once and for all here. In conclusion, the Council of Trent cannot be entirely credited in ensuring the survival and continued existence of th e Catholic faith but was rather part of the Counter-Reformation that had roughly checked the spread of Protestantism.It was able to uphold and defend the traditions the Church feign as part of professing ones faith, thereby throwing back the accusations Protestants hurled at it for cosmos 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. Works 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. Hano ver College. 14 Aug. 2010 .