Council of Trent

“ The speeches of the Jesuit Laynez, which had such a powerful effect upon the council, have been recently published under the title of Lainez, Disputationes Tridentinx, 2 vols., 1886. Vargas, Lettrei et Jfemoiret concernant le Concile de Trent (1700, partly translated in Geddes, The Council of Trent no Free Assembly, 1714) , is of much value. The canons and decrees of the council have been many times published, and are readily accessible ”

“ Property is wholly prohibited to Regulars.
For no regulars, therefore, whether men or women, shall it be lawful to possess, or hold as his own, or even in the name of the convent, any property immoveable or moveable, of what quality soever it may be, or in what way soever acquired; but the same shall be straightway delivered up to the superior, and be incorporated with the convent. Nor shall it henceforth be lawful for superiors to allow any real property to any regular, not even by way of having the interest or the use, the administration thereof, or in commendam. ”

“ It is fitting that Prelates reside in their own Churches; if they shall do otherwise, the Penalties of the Ancient Law are renewed against them, and new ones decreed.
The same sacred and holy synod,—the same legates of the Apostolic See presiding, wishing to gird itself unto the restoring of ecclesiastical discipline, which is exceedingly relaxed, and to amending the depraved manners of the Christian clergy and people, has thought fit to begin with those who preside over the greater churches; for the integrity of those in authority is the safety of those in subjection. ”

“ Most blessed Father; in a decree concerning the closing of the œcumenical Council of Trent, published the day before the nones of December [1] last, it was ordained, that, through the legates and presidents of your Holiness, and of the holy Apostolic See, confirmation should be requested from your Holiness, in the name of the said council, of all and each of the said things which were therein decreed and defined, as well under Paul III and Julius III, of happy memory, as under your Holiness. ”

“ And it would for a certainty fall on the day when it should allow a single stone of its edifice to be touched. Remember the terrible period through which it passed at the time of the Council of Trent. The Reformation had just deeply shaken it, laxity of discipline and morals was everywhere increasing, there was a rising tide of novelties, ideas suggested by the spirit of evil, unhealthy projects born of the pride of man, running riot in full license. And at the Council itself many members were disturbed, poisoned, ready to vote for the wildest changes, a fresh schism added to all the others. ”

“ Wherefore, beholding with the greatest pain of our soul, that the affairs of Christendom were daily hurrying on to a worse state,—Hungary being overwhelmed by the Turks, Germany endangered, all the other states oppressed with terror and affliction,—we resolved to await no longer the consent of any prince, but to look solely to the will of the omnipotent God, and the advantage of the Christian commonwealth. ”

“ Our reason for not prescribing that a whole year should expire before changing the place of the council, as has been before ordained by certain constitutions, [17] was this, that we were unwilling that our hope should be any longer delayed of applying a remedy to some extent to the Christian commonwealth, suffering as it is under so many disasters and calamities. And yet we observe the times, we acknowledge the difficulties. We know that what may be hoped for from our councils is uncertain. ”

“ In 1537, the Council of Trent was convoked, first at Mantua, by Paul III., afterwards at Trent in 1543, and terminated in December, 1561, under Pius VI. Catholic princes submitted to it on points of doctrine, and two or three of them in matters of discipline. It is thought that henceforward there will be no more general councils than there will be states-general in France or Spain. In the Vatican there is a fine picture, containing a list of the general councils, in which are inscribed such only as are approved by the court of Rome. Every one puts what he chooses in his own archives. ”

“ A Regular shall not, without the Permission of his Superior, either place himself in the Service of another place or person, or retire from his Monastery. When absent for the Sake of Study, he shall reside in a Monastery. The holy synod prohibits, that any regular, under the pretext of preaching, or lecturing, or of any other pious work, place himself at the service of any prelate, prince, university, community, or of any other person, or place soever, without the permission of his own superior ”

“ And so, seeing that the state of the times has so required, it decrees that the progress of this œcumenical Synod of Trent shall be suspended during two years, as it doth by this present decree suspend it; under this condition, however, that if things be sooner set at peace, and the former tranquillity return, which it hopes will before long happen, through the blessing of God the best and greatest, the progress of the council shall be considered to ave its full force, power, and authority. ”

“ But in whatsoever unions may have to be made, whether for the aforesaid, or for other causes, parish churches shall not be limited to any monasteries soever, or abbeys, or dignities, or prebends of a cathedral or collegiate church, or to any other simple benefices, or hospitals, or military orders; and those so united shall again be taken cognizance of by the ordinaries, according to the decree elsewhere made in this same synod, under Paul III., [12] of happy memory, which shall also be equally observed in respect to the unions [made] from that time forth to the present ”

“ THE PRIVILEGES, EXEMPTIONS, IMMUNITIES, FACULTIES, DISPENSATIONS, CONSERVATORIES, INDULTS, ETC., TO WHAT PLACES AND PERSONS SOEVER CONCEDED, IN THOSE PARTICULARS WHEREIN THEY ARE AT VARIANCE WITH THE STATUTES AND DECREES OF THE HOLT COUNCIL OF TRENT, ARE REVOKED. Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, for the perpetual memory hereof. ”

“ And insomuch as, by reason of the diversity of nations, people, and manners, a uniform, system cannot be adopted everywhere, in receiving the grave and competent testimony of good and learned men touching the aforesaid qualifications, the holy synod commands, that, in a provincial synod, to be held by the metropolitan, there shall be prescribed for each place and province a proper form of examination, scrutiny, or information, such as shall seem to be most useful and convenient for the said places, to be approved by the discretion of the most holy Roman Pontiff ”

“ They, yielding at last to our prayers, betook themselves to Nice; whither we also, for the cause of God, and to bring about peace, undertook a long journey, though greatly unsuited to our advanced age. Meanwhile, as the time fixed for the council, the calends, to wit, of May, drew nigh, we did not omit to send to Vicenza three legates a latere,—men of the greatest virtue and authority, chosen from the number of the aforesaid our own brethren, the cardinals of the Holy Roman Church,—to open the council; to receive the prelates as they arrived from various quarters ”

“ Accordingly on May 22, 1542, a Bull was published summoning a General Council to meet at Trent on November 1, 1542. Trent was selected as the place of assembly, with the hope of satisfying the German demand that the Council should meet on German territory. Though the population of Trent was mainly Italian, it was within the Empire and under the protection of Charles' brother Ferdinand. At the same time it was easy of access to the Italian Bishops, and was not so far distant as to be beyond the Pope's control. ”

“ But if, which we would fain wish otherwise, they shall be unable to come in person, let them at least send, with full powers to act, [20] as their deputies, men of weight, who may each in the council represent the person of his prince with prudence and dignity. But above all, let this—which is a matter very easy for them—be their care, that, from their respective kingdoms and provinces, the bishops and prelates set forth without tergiversation and delay; a request which it is just that God himself and we should obtain from the prelates and princes of Germany in a special manner ”

“ The country we passed thro' is much the same as that between Verona and Roveredo, the Adige being on our left. Trent lies also in the valley of the Adige, shut up between the Alps. The whole valley appears in high cultivation. The streets of Trent are broad; the Cathedral is a remarkably fine Gothic building. In the church of Sta Maria Maggiore was held the famous council of Trent. There are a great many silk mills in Trent. German as well as Italian is spoken; indeed the two languages are equally familiar to most of the inhabitants. ”

“ Granvelle was withdrawn, the Consulta abolished, and Orange, Egmont and Hoorn took their seats once more on the Council. They speedily found, however, that things did not mend. Granvelle had gone, but the royal policy was unchanged. In August 1564 Philip issued an order for carrying out the decrees of the Council of Trent, and for the strict execution of the placards against heretics. Protests, letters, personal missions were in vain, the king's will was not to be moved from its purpose. The spirit of resistance spread first to the lesser nobles, then to the people. ”

“ Insomuch as the holy synod is not ignorant how much splendour and utility accrue to the Church of God from monasteries piously instituted and rightly administered; it has,—to the end that the ancient and regular discipline may be the more easily and promptly restored, where it has fallen away, and may be the more firmly maintained, where it has been preserved,—thought it necessary to enjon, as by this decree it doth enjoin, that all regulars, as well men as women, shall order and form their lives agreeably to the requirements of the rule which they have professed ”

“ But although those matters which appertain to lay open the truth of faith and to confute the heresies of modern times were so enucleated and defined in the œcumenical and general Council of Trent, by the influence of the grace of the Holy Ghost, that it is now easy for each person to distinguish sound and Catholic doctrine from that which is false and spurious ”

“ Though a canon, put forth by our predecessor, Pope Alexander III., of happy memory, has decreed among other matters, that no person is to undertake the government of a parochial church, unless he has reached the twenty-fifth year of his age, and is worthy of being recommended by his knowledge and morals, and that such person, when elected to this government, if, having been admonished, he is not ordained to the priesthood at the time fixed by the canons, is to be removed from the duty of such government, and that it be conferred on some other person ”

“ The said synod also wills, that it be lawful for all and each of the ambassadors to go out of the city of Trent to take the air, as often as shall be convenient or necessary; and to return thither; as also freely to send or despatch their messenger to any places soever, according as the arrangement of their affairs may require, and to receive the said messengers or messenger, despatches or despatch, as often as shall seem fit to them; so as however one or more be associated therewith by those deputed by [2] the council, in order to provide for their safety. ”

“ We, by the appointment of God, presiding over the government of the universal church, though with merits unequal thereunto, deem it a part of our office that, if anything of more than usual moment have to be settled touching the Christian commonweal, it be done not only at a suitable season, but also in a convenient and fitting place. ”

“ For whereas Christian charity, urgent necessity, due obedience, and the evident utility of the Church, or of the commonwealth, require and demand that some at certain times be absent, this same sacred and holy synod ordains, that these causes of lawful absence are to be approved of in writing by the most blessed Roman Pontiff, or by the metropolitan, or, in his absence, by the oldest resident suffragan bishop, who shall also be bound to approve of the absence of the metropolitan ”

“ But if the churches in any province labour under so great poverty, that, in some of them, a college cannot be erected; the provincial synod, or the metropolitan, with the two oldest suffragans, shall take care to erect one or more colleges, as shall be judged convenient, in the metropolitan church, or in some other more convenient church of the province, out of the revenues of two or more churches, in which singly a college cannot conveniently be established, where the youths of these churches shall be educated. ”

“ Wherefore the light of the Holy Ghost being implored with the continual prayers both of ourselves and of the pious followers of Christ, all things being fully and maturely considered, we have given it as our opinion that several propositions, doctrines, sentences, whether given expressly, or insinuated ambiguously, from the acts and decrees of the above-mentioned synod, with their marks and censures, as has been premised, affixed to each, are to be condemned and reprobated, as by this our constitution, which is to hold good for ever, we condemn and reprobate them. ”