Council of Trent

The Council of Trent was the definitive Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation, inaugurating the Counter-Reformation (or Catholic Reformation). Over 18 years, the Council systematically clarified Catholic doctrine concerning Scripture and Tradition, Original Sin, Justification, and the Seven Sacraments. It condemned Protestant theology, demanded strict reform of clerical morals, mandated the establishment of seminaries for priestly formation, and codified the Roman Rite of the Mass (the Tridentine Mass). Trent revitalized the Church, equipping it with a unified doctrinal and pastoral vision for the modern era.