The Council of Trent

What was the purpose of The Council of Trent?

The Council of Trent was held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent, northern Italy. The council was made up of around 255 bishops and other church authorities to establish the Christian doctrine. In response to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church aimed to refute any forthcoming heresies and clarify the Church’s beliefs and teachings. Categories debated within the council ranged from scripture interpretation, salvation, Biblical canon, original sin, justification, and more. The genre is an official order issued by the Catholic Church, intended to be read by church authorities and participants of the faith in establishing the
doctrines of the Church. (Of the many documents written, the “Decree Concerning Original Sin” was written on June 17, 1546, during the fifth session of the Council of Trent.)

The Catholic Church was vulnerable in its teachings, doctrines, and accusations against it. There was a need for church authorities to assemble bishops and church authorities to consolidate the decrees on fundamental issues in theology. These documents formed by the Council of Trent are still being used today.

"That our Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to please God, may, errors being purged away, continue in its own perfect and spotless integrity, and that the Christian people may not be carried about with every wind of doctrine..."