Ecumenical council, convened by the pope Paul III in 1542 to undertake the reform of the Roman Catholic Church vis-a-vis the Protestant Reform.
This council, whose work was to be considerable, whose decisions were going to result in a major reorganization of the Church and whose influence was going to be felt a long time in many artistic fields, cultural and scientific, proceeded in twenty-five sessions, under three successive pontificates: ten sessions (1545-1549) under the pontificate of Paul III, six sessions (1551-1552) under the pontificate of Jules III, and nine sessions (1562-1563) under the pontificate of Magpie IV.
Delayed a long time because of the various adventures of the fight between France and the Empire, the council opened in 1545 (that is to say one year before the death of Luther) to Thirty, in Italy of North (then imperial territory), where the first eight sessions were taken place. In 1547, officially to flee an epidemic of plague but in fact to escape the imperial pressures, the council was transferred to Bologna where the two following sessions were taken place; but, “boycotted” by the bishops of the Empire, they did not lead to any result and work was completed in September 1549 by a suspension of the council by the pope, who died shortly after.
After an interruption of 1549 to 1551, the council began again under pontificate of Jules III, but without French representatives (11th with 16th session). It was suspended during ten years (1552-1562) following the invasion of southernmost Germany by the Protestant troops. It was completed finally under the pontificate of Magpie V, in 1562-1563 (of 17th with the 25e and last session).
The council, in the preparation, the organization and the prolongations whose the Jesuits played a decisive part, had been seen laying down three objectives by the pope: restoration of the unit of the Christians through the reform of the Church and the combat against the Protestant Reform, and the organization of the fight against the Turks. If the council hardly on the occasion to be delayed on the last point, and if it failed to make return the Protestants within a community of the faith under the aegis of Rome, its success was large in its company of restoration of the Roman Church, as well as regards the theological clarification as by the new dash as it could insufflate with the catholics.
The council indicated for authentic the text of the Vulgate among the Latin editions. It defended the tradition like complement of the Writings, maintained the seven sacraments, the dogma of the real presence, stopped the list of the canonical books, and clarified the doctrines on many fundamental points: the real presence (and not only virtual or symbolic system) of the Christ in the eucharistie, the original sin (by pointing out the existence of the demon), the faith (definite like a gift of the grace) and the “justification” (who does not exclude the need from the sacraments), the free-referee, works, the mass, the communion (under only one species), purgatory, the worship of the saints, indulgences, etc
As regards discipline, the council reformed the most obvious abuses (prohibition of money perception for the granting of indulgences), reaffirmed the Church as a company hierarchical under the higher authority of the pope, maintained the celibacy of the priests, decided the creation of the seminars and the publication of catechism (Pierre Canisius, 1555), made compulsory the residence of the bishops in their dioceses and their regular pastoral visitation. Lastly, solemnly the independence of the Church with respect to the civil powers was proclaimed, and the anathema was launched against the Reform and its defenders.
The influence of the council was prolonged, in particular through arts (painting, music, architecture) during the centuries which followed.