Council of Trent Compare and Contrast E
Kelly Hirschbuehler
AP European History
7th Hour Mr. Vogt
9th October, 2014
Topic #1 Although the Council of Trent failed to bring peace to different religions, it was still a success in some aspects. The policies of the Catholic Church changed drastically after the Council of Trent. However, a community based on tradition and repetition kept some of the same policies they had before the Council had met between 1545 and 1563 in Trent, Italy. After the Council met, there was much less corruption in the church than before and new orders appeared to recruit people to Catholicism, but the Church did use torture and devastation to convert people to their religion just as they always had. Before the Council met, pluralism, the selling of indulgences, and absenteeism was fully allowed, but that would be forever changed. For example, Priests from state churches would often hold offices from many different churches. This was “illegal” at the time; however, it was commonly overlooked. The Council of Trent decided to end pluralism which was partially the reason the catholic reformation began. Also, Pope Leo X allowed John Tetzel to sell indulgences to gain revenue to build St. Paul’s Basilica. People thought they could pay a certain amount of money for a sin to be forgiven. This originally started Protestantism by Martin Luther. Trying to unite the different religions, the Council decided to also not allow this corrupt practice. Furthermore, Priests would often hire the common person to deliver the weekly sermon, paying them much less the Church is paying the priest. The community was then not getting a sermon given by “God’s hand.” Pope Paul III, whom started the Council, decided to remove this fraudulent act to reinstate harmony among not only the highly placed Lutherans, Catholics, and Calvinist but also the common peasants. The Church was full of scandal and foul play that angered many before the decisions of the Council changed the course of the Roman Catholic Church
AP European History
7th Hour Mr. Vogt
9th October, 2014
Topic #1 Although the Council of Trent failed to bring peace to different religions, it was still a success in some aspects. The policies of the Catholic Church changed drastically after the Council of Trent. However, a community based on tradition and repetition kept some of the same policies they had before the Council had met between 1545 and 1563 in Trent, Italy. After the Council met, there was much less corruption in the church than before and new orders appeared to recruit people to Catholicism, but the Church did use torture and devastation to convert people to their religion just as they always had. Before the Council met, pluralism, the selling of indulgences, and absenteeism was fully allowed, but that would be forever changed. For example, Priests from state churches would often hold offices from many different churches. This was “illegal” at the time; however, it was commonly overlooked. The Council of Trent decided to end pluralism which was partially the reason the catholic reformation began. Also, Pope Leo X allowed John Tetzel to sell indulgences to gain revenue to build St. Paul’s Basilica. People thought they could pay a certain amount of money for a sin to be forgiven. This originally started Protestantism by Martin Luther. Trying to unite the different religions, the Council decided to also not allow this corrupt practice. Furthermore, Priests would often hire the common person to deliver the weekly sermon, paying them much less the Church is paying the priest. The community was then not getting a sermon given by “God’s hand.” Pope Paul III, whom started the Council, decided to remove this fraudulent act to reinstate harmony among not only the highly placed Lutherans, Catholics, and Calvinist but also the common peasants. The Church was full of scandal and foul play that angered many before the decisions of the Council changed the course of the Roman Catholic Church