Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/61

 TRENT

35

TRENT

The decrees which were proclaimed to the Church at this session were the result of long and arduous de- bates, in which 235 members entitled to a vote took part. Disputes now arose once more as to whether the council should be speedily terminated or should be carried on longer. In the meantime the congre- gations debated the draft of the decree on the Sacra- ment of Matrimony, and at the twenty-fourth session (11 Nov., 1563) there were promulgated a dogmatic decree (with twelve canons) on marriage as a sacrament and a reformatory decree (in ten chap- ters), which treated the various conditions requisite for contracting of a vahd marriage. A general decree on reform (in twenty-one chapters) was also published which treated the various ques- tions connected with the administration of ecclesias- tical offices.

The desire for the closing of the council grew stronger s,mong all connected with it, and it was de- cided to close it as speedily as possible. A number of ques- tions had been dis- cussed preliminarily and were now ready for final definition. Consequently in the twenty-fifth and final session, which occu- pied two days (3-4 Dec, 1563), "the fol- lowing decrees were approved and pro- mulgated: on 3 De- cember a dogmatic decree on the ven- eration and invoca- tion of the saints, and on the relics and images of the same; a decree on reform (in twenty-two chap- ters) concerning monks and nuns; a decree on reform, treating of the mode of hfe of cardinals and bishops, certificates of fitness for ecclesiastics, legacies for Masses, the administration of ecclesiastical benefices, the suppression of concubinage among the clergy, and the life of the clergy in general. On 4 December the following were promulgated: a dogmatic decree on indulgences; a decree on fasts and feast days; a further decree on the preparation by the pope of edi- tions of the Missal, the Breviary, and a catechism, and of a list of forbidden books. It was also declared that no secular power had been placed at a disadvantage by the rank accorded to its ambassadors, and the secular rulers were called upon to accept the decisions of the council and to execute thorn. Finally, the decrees p;issed by the council during the pontificates of Paul

III and Juhus III were read and proclaimed to be binding. After the fathers had agreed to lay the de- cisions before the pope for confirmation, the president, Cardinal Marono, dcclarcfl the council to be closed. The decrees were subscribed by two hundred and fifteen fathers of the council, consisting of four cardi- nal legates, two cardinals, three patriarchs, twent5'- five archbishops, one hundred and sixty-seven bishops, seven abbots, seven generals of orders, and also by nineteen proxies for thirty-three ab.sent prelates. The decrees were confirmed on 26 Jan., 1.564, by Pius

IV in the Bull "Benedictus Deus", and were accepted by Catholic countries, by some with reservations.

The (Ecumenical Council of Trent has proved to be of the greatest importance for the development of the inner life of the Church. No council has ever had to accomphsh its task under more serious difficulties,

none has had so many questions of the greatest impor- tance to decide. The assembly proved to the world that notwithstanding repeated apostasy in church life there still existed in it an abundance of religious force and of loyal championship of the unchanging principles of Christianity. Although unfortunately the council, through no fault of the fathers assembled, was not able to heal the religious differences of western Europe, yet the infallible Divine truth was clearly proclaimed in opposition to the false doctrines of the day, and in this way a firm foundation was laid for the overthrow of heresy and the carrying out of genuine internal reform in the Church.

rn>in,u-« el ,hrr. sacros. tci-umcnici cone. Tndentini (Rome. 1564, an, I MlT.r, r,r,r,i,lfdl: T.*nnK-C-oss.4RT. Concilia. XIV (Paria,

H ': -..A i',,. ;, smstici. ed. Mansi, ad an. 154S-

/ ',,■■, I Uni^toriamconc. Trid.spectantium


 * ,., iMuvuiii. 1781-5); Theiner, Acta

J,.. ._ '.M_i '_ ■,, r I I. iih Angelo Massaretto conscripta

{2 vo\i.. Za^^rab, 1S74) ; C<>nrttium Trid. diariorum. actorum, epistulaTum. iTactatuum nova coUectiOt ed. Soc. Goerresiana, only vols. I and H {Dia- riorum. parts I and II), ed. Merkle, IV and V {ActoTum. paiis I and II), ed. Ehses (Freiburg, 1901-11), have as yet I)een published; Dolun- GER, Vnyedruckte Be- richte u, TagebUcher z. Gesch. des Konz. v. Tr. (Nbrdlineen, 1S73); for the reporl.s of the nun- ciatures of this era see tlie article Nunciature Kepoht.s; Duput, Tn- slrucl. (7 tetlres concern. Ic cmc. de Tr. (Paris, 1054); Le Vassor. LeWres (7 mim. de Fr. de Vargas, de Pierre de Malvenda el dr quelques ^viquet, d'Espniinr coytcrrnanl U r,mr. de Tr. (.\msterdam. IIHW); Mknumam, Me- mom vl Ih, Cuimc. of Tr. (1.1)11,1., M, ls;i4). with .Huppl.'MMTU ll,S4L');

sui

Sitzungsher. der Wien.

r.„.r..l, Tr. {Ho

Ii<,,-, }{KT, Jour, du cone.

,/, Tr. redige par un

strreluire venilien (Paris,

ltt7(J;; SicKEL, Riimische

Akademie (1895-1901),

Monumenta tridentina. Beitrdge

Tr.. I-IV (Munich. 1884-97);

dan Kom. D. Tr. unter Pius IV.

1904-11), Lainez, Dispuiationes

ola.. Innsbruck, 1886); for the


 * it cardinal legates of the counoil

1.AVICINO, Isto: 1 .'7,, new ed. (.■? vols.. 1664), Is,;,, I, Germ. tr. (Aug.sburg, .,, /, e.mc. de Tr. (Paris, 1874); 'iljurg, 1906-9). passim: Car- ic. di Bologna (Montevarchi, irzo al scttembre I.'ij^7 (Bologna,

Berichte

fasc. V; Druffel-Brandi. zur Gesch. des Konz. von SusTA, Die rdmische Knrie u Aklcnstiicke. I-III; (Vienna, tridentina:, ed. Grisar (2 collections of letters of dilYeri cf. the various names.

General accounts of the council. — Sarpi. Istoria del cone, di Tr. (London, 1619), Fr. tr. (Amsterdam. 1736); German (Halle,

1761. and Mergenfheim. 1.S.30 ); to counteract this partisaa

account a hi3tor\- \v:i^ \vrif(,n cone, di Tr. (2 v,,l-,, l;,,p,. n,

ed. Zaccaria ( 1 \"\-.. 1; ■

1835 );Maynivk, I-J^nl. in. J.

Pastor, Geach. der Popsic U' CERERi, Storia esterna del c 1903) ; Idem, /( eonc. di Tr. dal i 19101.

Special questions. — Desjardins. Le pouvoir civil au cone, de 7'r.(Paris, 1869); Mabchese. Im rifnrmadd cUro secondo it coneilio de Trenlo (Turin. 1SS.3); DEsLANDREa, Le cone, de Tr. etlarf/orme du clergi (Pari.s, 1906) ; KoRTE. Die Konzilspolilik Karls V. ISHS-ii (Halle. 1905); Kassowitz, Die Reformvorschldge Kaiser Ferdi- nands I. aufdem Konz. von Tr. (Vienna. 1906); Hefner, Entsle- hungsgeschichte des trienter Recbtfertigun^sdekretes (Paderbom, 1909); Prumbs. Die Stellung des Trienterkonzils zu der Frage nach dem Wesen der heilrffnuichenden Gnade (Paderbom. 1909) ; VoBS, Die Verhandlungen Pius IV. ilber Neuberufung des Tridentiner Concils (Leipzig. 1887) ; cf. various articles by Ehses and Merkle in Hist. Jahrbuch, and Riim. Quartalsehr.; cf. other special bib- liography in Herqenr6ther-Kirsco. Kirchengesch., 4th ed., Ill, 189-191, 206.

J. P. KiRSCH.

Trent (Tridentum), Diocese of (Tridentina), suffragan of Salzburg. Trent became universally known through the famous general council held there from 1545 to 1563. At an earlier date, however, it had a certain historical importance. In IS b. c.