The Council Of Trent And Its Importance For The Revival Of The Catholic Church Term Paper

In the 16th century, the reformation movement in Europe has challenged the Roman Catholic Church. The higher Catholic clergy were willing to give Protestants the battle for the immortal souls of Christian believers. However, the highest hierarchs of the Catholic Church required eliminating contradictions in dogmatic questions. During the first half of the 16th century, there were voices that called to collect the next Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church. The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation Charles V of Habsburg (1519 - 1556) became a supporter of the Council.
The convening was long time postponed, firstly, because of evasive policy of the Pope Clement VII (1523 - 1534), and secondly, because of the escalation of the Italian wars, in which all the major powers of the continent were involved. Finally, in 1545, at the initiative of Pope Paul III (1534 - 1549) the Council was finally convened. The venue of the Council was the South Tyrolean town called Trento. At that time, it was a free city and the part of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Pope invited Protestant theologians in Trento, but they refused to participate in the Council. The assembled prelates were divided into two parties: one supported the Emperor, and insisted on the elimination of abuses of the clergy, as they thought it was possible to give up separate doctrinal issues to reach a compromise with the Protestants; the others were a group of supporters of the Pope, they were in favor of strengthening the unity of the Church and rejected any attempts to change an established dogma.
As a result, people of the Pope won the dispute of the Council. Paul III did not like that the Council was placed so far from Rome, and in 1547, under the pretext of plague, in Tyrol. He commanded the prelates to move to Bologna but 18 of the German bishops refused to leave Trento. The Council couldn`t be collected in full in Bologna, so in 1549 the Pope dismissed it. In 1551, the new Pope Julius III (1550 - 1555) convened the Council again. However, at this time, the elector Moritz of Saxony declared war against the Emperor Charles V and started to move deeper into German lands. Afraid to be in the midst of hostilities, prelates left and decided to meet again in two years. The new Council took place only in 1562. The meeting resumed in Trento, and at that time the papal throne was occupied by Pope Pius IV (1559 - 1565), and the throne of the Holy Roman Empire belonged to the Emperor Ferdinand I (1556 - 1564).
The Emperor demanded from the Pope large-scale reforms, but the Holy Father resolutely refused to change anything. He`d sent cardinal Morrone to the Emperor, who persuaded him not to encroach on the sacred dogmas. Especially because by the time the Catholic and Protestant teachings diverged so much that no compromise could be achieved. In December 1563, the Council of Trent finished its work and already in January 26, 1564 Pius IV confirmed his decision releasing the sacred bull "Benedictus Deus".(Hubert, 1996)
The Council of Trent (which takes its name from the Latin name of the city of Trento - Tridentum), examined the questions of the Holy Scripture, the Original Sin, Divine Grace and the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church, the organization of monastic orders and purgatory. Decisions of the Council reinforced the traditional dogmas of the Catholic Church. The Higher Church Hierarchy confirmed the creed adopted at the Council of Nicea (the 4th century), recognized the canonical translation of the Bible into Latin (the "Vulgate"), and included the deuterocanonical books into the sacred tradition. (Hubert, 1996)
The Council of Trent confirmed the supremacy of the Pope over the Council, increased the power of the bishops in their dioceses, and tightened the discipline of monastic orders.According to the results of the Council, "Tridentine religion" was composed, now declared as the only true. This worship was immediately accepted in Portugal, Savoy, and Venice; Philip II of Spain (1556 - 1598) adopted it, with some reservations regarding the prerogatives of the Spanish Royal Crown in the appointment of bishops and interference in the ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Another very important fact to consider is the correction of errors in the Julian calendar by request of the Pope Gregory XIII. The Council approved the plan that made adjustments to ensure more stable and accurate celebration of Easter. The reform was intended to reduce the number of leap years in four centuries from 100 to 97. Although initially after the approval of the "Gregorian calendar", the majority of European Protestant countries refused to accept it. Today, it is the most common calendar in the world.
The main value of the Council of Trent is that the realization of it contributed to the achievement of the unity of Catholics in dogmatic issues according which there were fierce disputes throughout the 16th century. Before the Council, many Catholic priests were willing to agree with certain provisions of the Protestant Religion, in particular, with the doctrine of justification by faith (J. Carter, 2013).
The Council of Trent was the beginning of the era of the Counter-reformation; at that time, Catholics were able to stop the spread of Protestantism, and in some places even to regain the lost ground.

Works Cited:

1. (J. Carter). (December 5, 2013). 9 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE COUNCIL OF TRENT. Available: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-the-council-of-trent. Last accessed 22 Feb 2015.
2. (The Catholic Primer). The Catechism of the Council of Trent or (The Catechism for Parish Priests). Available: http://www.eclipseofthechurch.com/Library/catechism_of_trent.pdf.
3. (Unknown). The Council of Trent. Bull of Indiction. Available: http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/. Last accessed 22 Feb 2015.
4. Jedin, Hubert. A History of the Council of Trent. , 1996. Print.