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Decretal system of the Council of Trent
The decrees, canons, and statements of faith issued by the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and confirmed by the pope, forming the core doctrinal and dis…
Timeline
- 1563Trent · TrentIn the final stage of the twenty-fifth session, decrees on original sin, justification, the sacraments, holy orders, and religious orders were passed; at the closing a complete body of decrees was formed, awaiting papal confirmation as the code of canon law for the whole Church.
- 1564Rome · RomePope Pius IV confirmed and promulgated the Tridentine decrees and canons by apostolic constitution, while issuing the Profession of Faith requiring clergy to swear obedience, thereby giving the decretal system the highest authority in canon law.
- 1566–1570Catholic Europe (network of provincial councils) · Catholic EuropeUnder Pope St. Pius V, provincial councils were convened to translate the Tridentine decrees into local pastoral regulations: mandating bishops' residence, establishing seminaries, standardizing liturgical books and the Index of Forbidden Books, moving the decretal system from text into the practice of church governance.
Sources
- The Council of Trent — John W. O'Malley (2013)
- Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent — H. J. Schroeder (trans.) (1978)