Why did the Council of Trent have such a great effect?

[aball1035]

From reading the history of the Catholic Church, it seems to me that during the start of, and before the reformation, the church’s leaders were incredibly corrupt, even the popes and cardinals. So I’m wondering why the Council had such a great effect on the clergy, if those same corrupt people conducted it.

 

[colmcille1]

From reading the history of the Catholic Church, it seems to me that during the start of, and before the reformation, the church’s leaders were incredibly corrupt, even the popes and cardinals. So I’m wondering why the Council had such a great effect on the clergy, if those same corrupt people conducted it.

Hi aball,
A very good post.
From what I have read of this period of Church history, there were several disputes within the Church about the necessity for such a Council. It would seem that the corrupt ones were greedily defending their lavish lifestyles. Thankfully, on December 13, 1545, the Council of Trent finally opened. Yet it dragged on for another eighteen years! Changes of Popes and locations and state wars all took their toll on its duration.
One great achievement was the establishment of the seminary system. The Church now had a finely-tuned machine for spreading the Faith. The richness of Europe’s Christian heritage was immeasurably enhanced.
God Bless,
Colmcille.

 

[Petergee]

From reading the history of the Catholic Church, it seems to me that during the start of, and before the reformation, the church’s leaders were incredibly corrupt, even the popes and cardinals. So I’m wondering why the Council had such a great effect on the clergy, if those same corrupt people conducted it.

One important reason was that the whole Church was profoundly shocked that, within one generation, one third of the free population of Christendom became ruled by people who abandoned most of Apostolic doctrine, destroyed and despoiled countless monasteries and churches some of which had stood for a thousand years, and destroyed religious orders. Everyone realised that teh Church HAD to run a tighter ship or else the disaster of the protestant revolt would spread further.

 

[RB2]

Part of what the Council of Trent accomplished was to stem the tide of Catholics becoming Protestant.

To do this they concentrated on what Protestants attacked us for and turned perceived weaknesses into ‘distinctives’:
Our belief in the Eucharist was criticized by Protestants-- Council of Trent: receive communion on the tongue and emphasize it sacredness.

Our devotion to Mary criticised by Protestants: emphasize this, create more devotions to BVM.

Things that Protestants attacked us for were now made as a primary focus of our identity and worship. An identity that made us seperate and distinct from Protestants. Almost distinctive enough that the two were segregated socially as Catholics had specific distinctives about them…the Catholic Ghetto emerged…social striation. The Council of Trent did work and stemmed the tide.

In the 60’s the Church was confident, Catholics had been accepted and were comingling successfully with Protestants, the Catholic Colleges were the most prestigious and with that confidence many in the Church wanted to lower the walls of Trent…lower the walls, the distinctive practices that were established wiht the Council of Trent and thus lower the walls around the Catholic ghetto. However, unfortunately Vatican II and broad social change( the Sexual Revolution, lowering of sexual mores, the disregard for authority, the Hippie movement, et al) occured at the same time. Many in the Church did not forsee the broad sweep of change that happened so quickly and the majority of Catholics were swept away with it.

Now the Church has to figure out how to stem the tide of the present situation we are in, restoration of Council of Trent distinctives might be part of that solution, but it will be figured out.

‘The Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America’ by David Carlin
amazon.com/Decline-Fall-Catholic-Church-America/dp/1928832792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288433310&sr=8-1