The Council of Trent
In 1545 the Council of Trent was called by Pope Paul III and held in Northern Italy. This was the Catholic Church’s response to the protestant reformation and is often called the Catholic Reformation. The council ended in 1563 after 18 years. However only five of these years were spent discussing issues as the Popes throughout the council were reluctant to lose power. The Council of Trent’s main purpose was to defend Catholic beliefs.
This played a major role in revitalising the Catholic Church in Europe. Some of the major outcomes that came from the council of Trent were used to stop and prevent corruption. These include:
The selling and buying of indulgences was forbidden. Indulgences were not ended altogether, however they were outlined in the catechism which stated they can only be granted through good works, charity, devotion and various other positive actions. People now were putting a larger focus into their prayer and good works as well as using their money to build better life for themselves and others around them.
There was a law passed which stated that all bishops and clergymen must stay in their posts. This prevented bishops and abbots from paying others to look after their duties while they travelled. The clergymen now spent their time working with their parishes developing faith and putting greater efforts into community initiatives just as Jesus did.
Seminaries were developed for the training of priests. Bishops were also required to spend six months as a priest before being ordained. This prevented clerics from giving their family members roles without the proper education. This ensured that priests had a satisfactory level of theological knowledge and could therefore assist those in their care, spiritually.
The practise of Bishops taxing and collecting money from their parishes was also forbidden. This meant that people could spend money to improve their own lives. Bishops now lived more like ordinary people instead of nobleman. This was very important as this was how Jesus lived on earth and enabled the laity to again have faith in the intentions of the clergy.
The Council of Trent also reaffirmed it’s doctrines. It taught that salvation is God’s gift to us and that we must also do good works in return. The council also identified tradition and scripture as the main sources of their religion. The people of the Church now held prayer and charitable works at the centre of their faith.
This played a major role in revitalising the Catholic Church in Europe. Some of the major outcomes that came from the council of Trent were used to stop and prevent corruption. These include:
The selling and buying of indulgences was forbidden. Indulgences were not ended altogether, however they were outlined in the catechism which stated they can only be granted through good works, charity, devotion and various other positive actions. People now were putting a larger focus into their prayer and good works as well as using their money to build better life for themselves and others around them.
There was a law passed which stated that all bishops and clergymen must stay in their posts. This prevented bishops and abbots from paying others to look after their duties while they travelled. The clergymen now spent their time working with their parishes developing faith and putting greater efforts into community initiatives just as Jesus did.
Seminaries were developed for the training of priests. Bishops were also required to spend six months as a priest before being ordained. This prevented clerics from giving their family members roles without the proper education. This ensured that priests had a satisfactory level of theological knowledge and could therefore assist those in their care, spiritually.
The practise of Bishops taxing and collecting money from their parishes was also forbidden. This meant that people could spend money to improve their own lives. Bishops now lived more like ordinary people instead of nobleman. This was very important as this was how Jesus lived on earth and enabled the laity to again have faith in the intentions of the clergy.
The Council of Trent also reaffirmed it’s doctrines. It taught that salvation is God’s gift to us and that we must also do good works in return. The council also identified tradition and scripture as the main sources of their religion. The people of the Church now held prayer and charitable works at the centre of their faith.