We know that, in the 16th century, the wave of RenovationsProtestants in Europe, as well as the consequent Catholic Counter-Reform. Whenever we study this content at school, the teacher mentions a series of themes associated with it with a character of importance. One of these themes is the Council of Trent. But what exactly was the Council of Trent? What was the reason it was performed during this period? Well, initially, we need to know what a council is, within the Catholic tradition.
A council (a word that means meeting, convention, etc.), within the Catholic Christian tradition, consists of the gathering of clerics (bishops, cardinals, etc.) for deliberation on doctrinal (relating to Christian dogmas) and pastoral (relating to the conduct of life) themes Christian).
The Council of Trent met, initially, in 1545, with the objective of reaffirming the basic dogmas of Catholicism, such as the Divine Trinity, the sacraments, the sanctity of Mary, among others. However, due to a series of periods of wars, the Council had to be interrupted more than once, only managing to be concluded in 1563, under the leadership of the Papa Paul III.
In addition to the reaffirmation of dogmas, the Council also tried to moralize the conduct of clerics, especially in relation to practices criticized by reformers, such as the sale of indulgences - the main target of Martin Luther. Added to this was the emphasis given to the mediating role of priests and sacraments within Catholicism. It was up to priests and spiritual directors to guide the faithful in their search for holiness, grace and life in Christ. It was up to the faithful, in turn, to carry out the sacraments, such as confession and the Eucharist, to keep Grace renewed – ideas rejected by Protestantism.
Another important point of the Council of Trent was the condemnation of some books, which, it was believed, led the faithful to sin and to alienate the Holy Church. These books have been put on the calling list. Index Librorum Proibitorum - “Index of Prohibited Books”.
By Me. Cláudio Fernandes