Cultivating a Collective Past

(The Council Of Trent)

In the 1530s Martin Luther's protests against the Catholic Church could no longer be taken as lightly as they once were, and in 1534, the new pope, Paul III had committed to making reforms inside the church. He reexamined the papal administration, and ordered a report that was made by a committee of cardinals that eventually revealed abuses among the clergy that were so appalling he made his findings secret. He eventually decided to make a council of bishops to tackle the other problems that were facing the the church.

In the beginning the Council of Trent took place in the same named Northern Italian city. It lasted from 1545-1563. While papal ambassadors looked over the sessions, everything they decided had to be approved by the pope.  While at first Protestants were meant to join in and help the growing animosity between the Catholic and Protestant religious divide. Protestants were unwilling and eventually not allowed to join in the discussions.