The Counter-Reformation: The Council of Trent

Reform has always been a part of Church history.  In the fifteen centuries since Christ’s death and resurrection, there had been eighteen ecumenical councils of the whole church and countless synods.  These meetings of the Church consistently pointed the Church in the right direction when problems occurred.  Oftentimes the popes themselves took actions to correct the course of the Church in troubled times.

            In 1534, by which time many people in Northern Europe had become Protestant, Pope Paul III started the Counter-Reformation.  He encouraged preachers and missionary work, even in Protestant countries where many Catholics would be killed because they held on to the faith of their fathers.  He approved new religious orders, such as the Society of Jesus and the Capuchins, which worked to spread Catholicism in Europe and the New World.  This pope also began the nineteenth ecumenical council in the city of Trent, which was located in the Holy Roman Empire at that time.  In 1545 bishops from all over Christendom met there in the first session of this important council which would determine how Roman Catholics (those who remained faithful to the Church) would worship for the next four hundred years.

            Over the next eighteen years the Council would meet many times.  By the time they were done, the Council had restated many things which previous councils had said.

Some Doctrines and Dogma of the Council of Trent

Canon of Scripture: The books of the Bible were reaffirmed to be those 46 of the Old testament and the 27 of the New Testament.

Original Sin: The Council explained, as many theologians had taught for centuries, that the sin of Adam and Eve was a stain upon the soul of all men, until removed by Baptism.

Justification: The Council explained, in contradiction to those who taught Sola Fide, that man was justified by both faith and works.

Sacraments: The seven sacraments were reiterated and explained in depth.

Divorce: The Council declared that, in obedience to the Lord’s word found in scripture, marriage could never be dissolved.  Therefore divorce was never to be permitted.

Purgatory: The existence of Purgatory was defended.

            The Council Fathers granted safe conduct to any Protestant leaders that wished to come and speak to the gathered bishops about matters of faith.  They even allowed Protestants to bring their own judges so that, if any were accused of a crime while in Trent, they could be sure that they would have an impartial judge.  But Protestants no longer wished for unity with the Church, and none took up the offer.

            The Council of Trent also determined that there should be one rite of mass in all of Europe, permitting only certain very old rites to continue.  Up to that time, different liturgies had existed in different parts of Christendom.  In 1570 Pope St. Pius V issued Quo Primum, a papal encyclical which enjoined all Catholic priests to celebrate the Tridentine mass.

            During this period, things looked very dark for the Church in Europe. Protestants and Catholics fought many battles.  In France, the Protestants known as Huguenots were tolerated at first, but in 1562 Catholics killed many of them at the Massacre of Vassy and this began a civil war that lasted until 1576.  All over the Holy Roman Empire princes were squabbling with each other over religion.  In England, the church changed with each year and became less like the Church in Rome.

            Nevertheless, God works in strange ways.  During the 16^th and 17^th centuries all the people of Mexico, Central America and South America would convert to Catholicism.  A great many Catholics would also emigrate to the English and French colonies in North America, escaping oppression in the countries from which they came. While a small section of Northern Europe had left the Church, the Church itself grew larger and stronger than ever.