TRENT
31
TRENT
repeated this opinion at the first consistory (13
November). He summoPf^d distinguished prelates
to Rome to discuss the matter with them. Ropresen-
talives of Charles \' and Ferdinand I also hiboured to
hasten the council. The majority of the cardinals,
however, opposed the immediate calliiif; of a counril,
and it was resolved to notify the princes of the papal
decision to hold a church assembly. Nuncios were
sent for this purpose to France, .Spain, and the
German king, Ferdinand. Vergerio, nuncio to
Ferdinand, was also to apprise the German electors
and the most distinguished of the rem;iining ruling
princes personally of the impending pnul:imation of
the council. He executed his commission with zeal,
although he frequently met with reserve and dis-
trust. The selection of the place of meeting was a
source of much difficulty, as Rome insisted that the
council should meet in an Italian city. The Prot-
estant rulers, meeting at Smalkald in December,
1535, rejected the proposed council. In this they
were supported by Kings Henry VIII and Francis
I. At the same time the latter sent assurances to
Rome that he considered the council as very service-
able for the extermination of heresy, carrying on,
as regards the holding of a council, the double intrigue
he always pursued in reference toGerman Protestant-
ism. The visit of Charles V to Rome in 1.53G
led to a complete agreement between him and the
pope concerning the council. On 2 June, Paul III
published the Bull calling all patriarchs, archbisliojis,
bishops, and abbots to assemble at Mantua on J3
May, 1537, for a general council. Cardinal legates
were sent with an invitation to the council to the
emperor, the King of the Romans, the King of
France, while a number of other nuncios carried the
invitation to the other Christian countries. The
Netherlander Peter van der Vorst was sent to Ger-
many to persuade the German ruling princes to take
part. The Protestant rulers received the ambassa-
dor most ungraciously; at Smalkald they refused the
invitation curtly, although in 1530 they had demanded
a council. Francis I took advantage of the war that
had broken out between himself and Charles in 153(5
to declare the journey of the French bishops to the
council impossible.
Meanwhile preparations were carried on with zeal at Rome. The commission of reform, appointed in July, 153t5, drew up a report as the basis for the correction of the abuses in ecclesiastical life; the pope began preparations for the journey to Mantua. The Duke of Mantua now raised objections against the holding of the assembly in his city and made conditions which it was not possible to accept at Rome. The opening of the council, therefore, W!is put off to 1 November; later it was decided to oi)en it at Vicenza on 1 May, 1538. The course of affairs, however, was continually obstructed by Francis I. Nevertheless the legates who were to preside at the council went to Vicenza. Only six bishops were present. The French king and the pope met at Nice, and it was decided to prorogue until Easter, l.')39. Soon after this the emperor also desired to postpone the council, as he hoped to restore religious unity in Germany by conferences with the Protestants. After further unsuccessful negotiations both with Charles V and Francis I the council was indefinitely prorogued at the consistory of 21 May, 1.539, to reassemble at the pope's discretion. When Paul III and Charles V met at Lucca in September, 1.541, the former again raised the question of the council. The emperor now consented that it should meet at Vicenza, but Venice would not agree, whereupon the emperor proposed Trent, and later Cardinal Con- tarini suggested Mantua, but nothing was decided. The emperor and Francis I were invited later to send the cardinals of their countries to Rome, so that the question of the council could be discussed by the
college of cardinals. Morone worked in Germany as
legate for the council, and the pope agreed to hold
it at Trent. After further consultations at Rome,
Paul III convoked on 22 May, 1542, an oecumenical
council to meet at Trent on 1 Nov. of the same year.
The Protestants made \iolent attacks on the council,
and Francis I opposed it energetically, not even
jxrmitting the Bull of convocation to be published
in his kingdom.
The tierman Catholic princes and King Sigismund of Poland consented to the convocation. Charles V, enraged at the neutral position of the pope in the war that was threatening between himself and Francis 1, as well as with the wording of the Bull, wrote a reproachful letter to Paul III. Nevertheless, prepara- tions were made for the council at Trent, by special papal commissioners, and three cardinals were appointed later as conciliary legates. The conduct, however, of Francis I and of the emperor again prevented the opening of the council. A few ItaUan and German bishops appeared at Trent. The pope went to Bologna in March, 1543, and to a conference with Charles V at Busseto in June, yet matters were not advanced. The strained relations which ap- peared anew between pope and emperor, and the war between Charles V and Francis I, led to another prorogation (6 July, 1.543). After the Peace of Crespy (17 Sept., 1544) a reconciliation was effected between Paul III and Charles V. Francis I had abandoned his opposition and declared himself in favour of Trent as the place of meeting, as did the emperor. On 19 Nov., 1544, the Bull "La-tare Hierusalem" was i.ssued, by which the council was again convoked to meet at Trent on 15 March, 1545. Cardinals Giovanni del Monte, Marcello Cervini, and Reginald Pole were appointed in February, 1545, as the papal legates to preside at the council. As in March only a few bishops had come to Trent, the date of opening had to be deferred again. The emperor, however, desired a speedy opening, conse- quently 13 December, 1545, was appointed as the date of the first formal session. This was held in the choir of the cathedral of Trent after the first president of the council, Cardinal del Monte, had celebrated the Mass of the Holy Ghost. When the Bull of convocation and the Bull appointing the conciliary legates were read, Cardinal del ^Ionte declared the oecumenical council opened, and ap- pointed 7 January as the date of the second ses.sion. Besides the three presiding legates there were present: Cardinal Madruzza, Bishop of Trent, four arch- bishops, twenty-one bishops, five generals of orders. The council was attended, in addition, by the legates of the King of Germany, Ferdinand, and by forty- two theologians, and nine canonists, who had been summoned as consultors.
II. Order of Business. — In the work of accom- phshing its great task the council had to contend with many difficulties. The first weeks were occupied mainly with settling the order of business of the assembly. After long discussion it was agreed that the matters to be taken into consideration by the members of the council were to be proposed by the cardinal legates; after they had been drawn up by a commission of consultors (congregatio lluologorum minoTum) they were to be discussed thoroughly in preparatorj- sessions of special congregations of prel- ates for dogmatic questions, and similar congrega- tions for legal questions {congregatio prahilnriaii Iheo- lognnnn and congregatio pnrlatorum canonistarum). Originally the fathers of the council were divided into three congregations for discu.ssion of the subjects, but this was soon done away with as too cumbersome. After all the preliminary discussions the matter thus made ready was debated in detail in the general con- gregation (congregatio generalix) and the final form of the decrees was settled on. These general congre-
