Download Student Writing Samples: The ID

Student Writing Samples: The ID
1. The Council of Trent was a religious council called for by the Pope. Met in the city of Trent and had
three main sessions. The Catholic Church invited Protestant leaders to come and observe the
Council, but they refused because they were not able to participate in the Council. At the Council of
Trent the Pope wanted to discuss doctrinal issues whereas the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
wanted to address Church abuses. One of the main reasons for the Council of Trent was the Catholic
or Counter Reformation in response to Protestantism. The Council reaffirmed many beliefs of the
Catholic Church, including priest celibacy, and the transubstantiation of the Eucharist while also
making corrections for abuses, such as in the sale of indulgences. The Council of Trent was
significant because it helped repel the spread of Protestantism while also strengthening the Catholic
Church.
2. The Council of Trent was called by Pope Paul the III to address the issue of Protestant revolt.
Archbishops, bishops, abbots, theologians, and other clergy members met in the city of Trent and
began constructing and redefining certain aspects of the Catholic Church. The council condemned
Protestantism and reaffirmed the importance of the sacraments, Church interpretation of the Bible,
and transubstantiation. The Council said Protestant opposition would be met with charges of heresy
and threatened death to participants in the revolt. This council and the documents produced also
sought to eliminate fallacies in the papacy like pluralism and absenteeism. Overall, the Council
strengthened and solidified the Catholic Church.
3. The Council of Trent was a committee organized by the Catholic Church to help with the
Reformation. They met from 1531 – 1545 to make decisions. They met 3 times in that time period.
It was primarily made up of bishops elected by Charles V. The ultimately resolved many conflicts on
future policies of the Church. This was one of the main turning points for the church, because it
encouraged a mindset of change, later helping the Church to be equipped against future uprisings, and
return to the origins of the Church.
4. The Council of Trent was a meeting called to reform Catholicism. In the meeting they addressed
several issues such as pluralism, the sale of indulgences, and clerical ignorance and moved to reform
the areas along with others. From this the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was formed. The Jesuits went
across the globe to places like South America and Asia to spread Catholicism while attacking
Protestants and liberal Catholics.
5. The Council of Trent was one of the three ways (the others were the Jesuits and the Inquisition) that
the Catholics protected their beliefs during the Catholic Reformation. At this council it was said to
be an attempt to reconcile with the Protestants but as seen by the fact that Protestants could attend
and represent their beliefs in practice they could not have a say in any decisions so they didn’t attend,
making an obvious statement that no compromise was to be made. This was because the Council was
run and heavily influenced by the conservative wing of Catholics who wished to make no
compromises with the Protestants over the nature of theology or practice and thus the Council of
Trent solidified the break between Catholicism and Protestantism. Here, Catholic doctrine was
examined and most of the old beliefs were reaffirmed. Pluralism (the holding of more than one
office) and other issues that had caused the Reformation like corruption and uneducated clergy were
addressed and dealt with. To ensure that bishops and clergy did their jobs to the best of their ability,
clergy could only hold one office/bishopric/parish/abbey. The Council of Trent reaffirmed Catholic
doctrine, revitalizing it and giving it a concrete belief that could be spread back to lost territories by
the Jesuits and the Inquisition centered in Spain.