The Council of Trent was a council that was held to gain reforms in the Catholic Church, most of which were achieved. It has been described as the embodiment of the Counter-reformation.
Answer:
Explanation:
The Council of Trent, held over a span of years from 1545 to 1563, served to reform some abuses that were acknowledged by the Catholic Church. Mostly, though, the Council aimed to assert the full authority of Roman power and doctrine over the Protestant threat. So reaffirming the authority of the pope was a key measure over against Protestants who had challenged that authority.
Pope Paul III had established the Roman Inquisition in 1542 as a means for investigating and prosecuting individuals accused of heresy. The Council of Trent affirmed and further empowered the Roman Inquisition as an institution of the church.
The Roman Catechism, also known as the Catechism of the Council of Trent, was commissioned by the Council and was published in 1566, with the intent of thoroughly educating the church's clergy.
The Council also addressed the matter of indulgences, which had been an issue that caused protest at the start of the Reformation years. The Council of Trent upheld the underlying principle of indulgences -- that the church had authority to grant reprieve to penance or time in purgatory. But the sale of indulgences was stopped. The church recognized that the selling of indulgences had been an abuse and determined to end that practice.
