TRENT, COUNCIL OF. The most notable of the modern ecumenical councils of the Roman Catholic Church, held with intermissions from 1545 to 1563. It was the culmination of the Counter-Reformation (q.v.), and its decrees crys tallized the results of that movement into the permanent law of the Church. For centuries those who felt the need of reform within the Church had appealed to a general council, and the long-growing discontent with the condition of things after the Great Schism had led to the great councils of the fifteenth century. The Protestant Reformation had taken many of the most ardent advocates of reform out of the Church, and left the conservative-minded party in control. A council was at first desired by Luther and his supporters as a means of closing the great breach. At the Diet of Nuremberg in 1523 the German estates appealed to Adrian VI. for the summoning of a council "within a year, in concert with the Imperial Majesty and in a German city." Adrian died in the same year, and his successor, Clement VII., while not refusing a council. did nothing toward calling one; and the political breach between Charles V. and the Holy See made the Emperor's requests unfruitful. Thus it happened that when the design was put into execution in the pontifi cate of Paul III., the Augsburg negotiations (see REFORMATION) had failed, the break in Christen dom was an accomplished fact, and the sincere but reactionary party was left in control.
The Council was finally assembled at Trent, December 13, 1545. The Emperor desired to have the discussions opened on points of general agree ment, in the hope of gaining the confidence of the Protestants; but the party in control brought to the front the questions most in dispute—the authority of the Scriptures in the Vulgate text, the right of interpretation, ecclesiastical tradi tion, and the doctrine of justification, as to which the old positions were maintained. Cer tain administrative reforms were early decreed. Bishops were to provide better schools in their dioceses, and were themselves to expound the Word of God; qualifications for the episcopal office were defined, and penalties imposed for the neglect of duties; dispensations and privi leges were restricted. The Emperor opposed the course of the Council, and on March 11, 1547, its sittings were transferred to Bologna, where it was thought the Imperial influence would not be so much felt. In 1549 Paul III. died and was succeeded by Cardinal del Monte as Julius III. The latter reassembled the Council at Trent May 1, 1551 ; but, after the sixteenth session, the city having become insecure on ac count of the activity of the Protestant forces under Maurice of Saxony, the -sittings were again suspended for two years. After the brief reign of Mareellus IL, Cardinal Caraffa, one of the ablest leaders of the uncompromising Catho lic party, came to the Papal throne as Paul 1V.
The Council now proceeded to carry out a conservative reorganization of the Church, though its work was again suspended for a time owing to the disturbances of Paul's pontificate.
Pius IV., the former Cardinal Gonzaga, recon vened it in 1560, and much important work was done, looking to a restoration of the Papal au thority in its fullness. Ecclesiastical laws were codified; questions which had hitherto been open were definitely ruled; uniformity of faith and discipline was established. To regulate some of the abuses of the system of indulgences, it was decreed that bishops should collect the payments made in connection with it. while the power of granting indulgences was affirmed as instituted by Christ and to be retained as useful to Chris tians. Episcopal control of monastic orders was provided for, though the Jesuits secured a larger measure of freedom. Several matters of detail were referred to the Pope for decision. The decrees were read and subscribed by about 200 bishops on December 3 and 4, 1563, and the Council finally adjourned. The decrees were con firmed by the Pope January 26, 1564, and he also prepared a confession of faith summarizing their doctrinal features. (See Pius IV., CREED OF.) In spite of opposition, the work of the Council was so clear, logical, and thorough, and so well supported by the hierarchy, that it had a permanent and far-reaching effect, setting the standard of Roman Catholic faith and practice (with the exception of the two definitions of the Immaculate Conception and the Infallibility of the Pope) to the present day. The best modern edition of the documents relating to the Council is Tridentinum Conciliar)? ; Actorvin, Epistu larum, Tractatuum nova Collectio (Freiburg, 1901 et seq.), or Theiner, Acta Genuina Sacri Concilii Tritlentini (Agram, 1874). The ap proved English translation is that of Waterworth. Wo•ks supplementary to that of the Council itself were a by the Pope for parish priests and preachers, and authentic editions of the Vulgate Bible, the missal, and the breviary. A permanent tribunal at Rome, the Congregation of the Council, deals with questions which arise as to the meaning, authority, or effect of the decrees and canons of the Council. The. con temporary histories of the Council were those of Fra Paolo Sarpi (see SARPI, PAOLO ) Istoria del Concilio Tridentino (London, 1619; in Latin, 1620; Eng. trans. by Brent, 1676), written from a hostile, almost a Protestant point of view; and Sfo•za Pallavicini, Istoria del Concilio di Trento (Rome, 1656-57 ; revised by the author, 1666; ed., annotated by Zaccaria, 1833; French trans. by ?ligne, Paris, 1844). a friendly history, a reply to Sarpi. Consult also: Mendham, Me moirs of the Council of Trent (London. 1834 42) ; Wessenberg, Die grosser Kirehenrersamm lungen des fiinfzelonten told sechs.-:clinten Jahr hunderts (Constance. 1840), a Roman Catholic work; G6schl, Histoire du grand eoweile gene ral de Trente (Regensburg, 1840) ; Maynier, Etudes historiques sur le tontine de Trcnte (Paris, 1874) ; DiThinger, von U rku n den zur Geschichte des Conchs nor Trient (Nord linger', 1876).; Philippson, La eontre-rerolution religieuse au sieele (Paris, 1884).