Council of Trent (jan 1, 1545 – dec 31, 1563)

Description:

The Council of Trent
Made to reform catholic church + reconcile w protestants
WHO: Roman catholic pope +etc, lutherans, calvinists, Charles V of France
Protestants: insisted scripture must be sole basis for discussion → couldn’t compromise w catholics
Charles V: wanted to avoid alienating lutheran nobility b/c france wanted lutherans/catholics to remain divided [so germany would stay decentralized/weak]
EFFECT: laid foundation for spiritual renewal of catholic church
50/50 value between scripture and clerical authority
Reaffirmed traditional teachings & required clergy to be educated + trained
Parents had usually chosen religious careers for kids, but now those in training were forced to rethink if it was right for them
Forced bishops to live locally + given greater authority
Suppressed pluralism + simony, forbade sale of indulgences
Clerics forced to give up concubines (side hoes)
Made rule that marriages must be public to be valid (avoided issue of denials/conflicts arising from secret marriages)

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