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Julius III's successor, Pope Paul IV, Gian Pietro Caraffa, born in Capriglio on 28 June 1476 and died in Rome on 18 August 1559, was very intransigent and the Council had to wait for the arrival of Pius IV, Gian Angelo Medici or Medighino, born in Milan on 31 March 1499 and died in Rome on 9 December 1565, before it could resume. The refusal of the Protestants and the French to take part in a Council that they felt was too closely linked to Rome delayed the start of the sessions once again. They resumed on 18 January 1562 and focused on forbidden books, communion and the sacrifice of the Mass. The Emperor asked for the abolition of priestly celibacy and for lay people to be allowed to hold the chalice, but these questions were referred to the Pope, who was of course opposed to them. The following sessions dragged on, a new tactic of the Church to silence the opposition. The boredom and discouragement of the participants allowed the easy adoption of decrees on the celibacy of priests, on purgatory, on the adoration of saints and the worship of relics, on youth, etc... The end of the Council was proclaimed on 4 December 1563, and the decisions were confirmed by the Pope in January 1564. Conclusion The results of the Council were not what the Emperor and the people of Europe had hoped for. It failed to bring Protestants back into the fold of the Church, and on the contrary, the opposition between the two religions became clearer. Nevertheless, the Council had the merit of fixing Catholic doctrine and abolishing a good number of abuses. Its decrees were accepted almost unreservedly throughout Europe. Gian...

His successor, Julius III, was asked by Charles V to quickly reopen the Council, which he did on 1 May 1551. Discussions focused on the Eucharist, penance, extreme unction and legal issues, while at the same time anathematising the theses of Huldreich Zwingli, a Swiss reformer and humanist who wanted a religion purged of all historical traditions, the cult of saints, images, statues and organs, and Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, ordained priest and reformer. In his ninety-five theses, he formulated some of the essential points of his future doctrine. At the Emperor's request, a number of Protestants were invited to take part in the debates. Representatives from Saxony arrived a little later, led by Elector Maurice of Saxony, but against all expectations they suddenly attacked the Emperor's armies, forcing him to flee. The Council was dispersed and Charles V had to sign the Peace of Passau, which was unfavourable to Catholics. Huldreich Zwingli Charles V Martin Luther Towards: The Council of Thirty Sessions 17 -25 (18/01/1562 - 04/12/1552) Iconographic Sources: Huldreich Zwingli - Charles V - Martin Luther © 2019 Heraly Yves - GéniWal Magazine n° 21, 2004 all rights reserved ...

Cattedrale di San Vigillio, treto, Italy The Pope ensured that the way the Council functioned would allow him to control and direct the deliberations as he saw fit. The assembly of bishops (most of them Italian) only had to accept decisions debated and proposed by commissions appointed by papal legates. In other words, the pontiff controlled everything. The first sessions were a failure because of the discrepancy between the aspirations of the people and their sovereigns, and the subjects addressed by the council. Some wanted an end to the abuses of the Church and complete reforms of its institutions, whereas the discussions focused on the choice of canonical texts, justification by faith and the seven sacraments (marriage, baptism, etc.). In fact, the Church made its position clear with regard to Protestant doctrine, but did not engage in self-criticism. In 1547, the repeated protests of the prelates that the plague was at the gates of the city and that the Council had to be moved to Bologna. Charles V forbade his bishops to follow the move, and because there were not enough participants, the Pope had to suspend the Council on 17 September 1549. Vers : The Council of Thirty Sessions 9 to 16 (01/5/1551 - 28/04/1552) Sources : Image : https://fr.tripadvisor.be/Attraction_Review-g187861-d2325632-Reviews-Cattedrale_di_San_Vigilio-Trento_Province_of_Trento_Trentino_Alto_Adige.html © 2019 Heraly Yves - GéniWal Magazine n° 21,...

Pope Pius II, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, born in Corsignano, near Siena on 18 October 1405 and died in Rome on 14 August 1464, had ruled out the idea of a general council in 1460, This was confirmed by Julius II, Giuliano Della Rovere, born in Albissola, near Savona on 05 September 1443 and died in Rome on 20 February 1513, in 1512 at the Lateran Council (the real problems raised by the Protestant reform had not been addressed). The Church's intention was in fact not to rush the debates, to avoid a crisis Council and instead to carry out thoughtful and far-reaching reforms. In 1530, Charles V, whose empire was beginning to implode as a result of religious quarrels, announced to the Diet of Augsburg that a Council would soon be held. Pope Clement VII, Giullo de Medici, who was born in Florence on 26 May 1478 and died in Rome on 25 September 1534, was afraid of being outmanoeuvred, so he convened the council shortly afterwards, but without specifying either the place or the date. It was his successor Paul III, Alessandro Farnese, born in Canino in February 1468 and who died in Rome in November 1549, who, at the insistence of Charles V, set the meeting for 27 May 1537 in Mantua. When the Duke of Mantua imposed conditions that were too restrictive, Paul III postponed it, first to Vicenza and then finally to Trent, a small episcopal town in the Italian Tyrol. The first session of the Ecumenical Council of Trent did not open until 13 December 1545...

The beginning of parish registers in our provinces. Faced with criticism from the reformers and the rise of matrimonial legislation in the Protestant states, the principle of a compulsory ecclesiastical celebration and the keeping of corresponding registers were established. The Council of Trent greatly reduced the importance of betrothal. Before the Council, an engagement followed by sexual relations was de facto transformed into a marriage. In 1563, the Council of Trent issued general prescriptions on how to keep baptismal and marriage registers. The canons of the «Tametsi» decree on the solemnity of marriage are clear: only explicit and solemn consent expressed in the present tense (I take you as my wife) constituted marriage. Even performed in Church, or in front of the Church. The decree clearly stated that a marriage was null and void if it was not celebrated in the presence of the parish priest and two or three witnesses, preceded by the publication of banns and accompanied by the keeping of marriage registers. The bishops left their application to the provincial synods. These provisions were supplemented in 1614 by Paul V's «Rituale Romanum» for deaths. From this time onwards, episcopal orders prescribing the keeping of registers multiplied. However, most parishes did not open registers until after 1600, or even after 1650. The oldest baptismal registers in our country date from 1565; they are from the parish of Sainte-Gudule and the church of La Chapelle. They are kept in the Archives of the City of Brussels and therefore date from shortly after the Council of Trent. To Council of Trent - Sessions 1 to 8 (13/12/1745 - 17/09/1547) © 2019 Heraly Yves...

In ancient times, there were no gaps in civil status. As early as Marcus Aurelius, newborn babies in Rome had to be registered in order to prove their status as free men at a later date. The legal registration of marriages, however, did not exist until Justinian. How old are parish registers? As early as 1406, a synod required parish priests to keep baptismal records. In France, around the 15th century, in a few parishes, they became widespread and compulsory under François 1st (article 51 of the Villers-Cotterêts ordinance in 1539). The ordinance of April 1667, Title XX, art. 7 to 18 made it compulsory for parish priests to draw up deeds; Latin was replaced by French. The Edict of Nantes (1568) entrusted responsibility for the civil status of Protestants to the ministers of the Reformed faith, a power that was taken away from them in 1685 when the Edict was revoked. Louis XVI's edict (28 November 1787) made court officials responsible for drawing up civil status documents for non-Catholics. It should be noted that our regions were not affected by this edict. With the Reformation, the situation changed. Faced with criticism from the reformers and the growth of marriage legislation in Protestant states, the principle of compulsory ecclesiastical celebration and the keeping of corresponding registers was established. Before the Council, an engagement followed by sexual relations was effectively transformed into a marriage. The Council of Trent From 15-12-1545 to 4-12-1563 In 1563, the Council of Trent issued general prescriptions on how baptism and marriage registers should be kept. The canons of the «Tametsi» decree on the solemnity of marriage are...