Doctrinal Decrees of the Council of Trent

Timeline

1. 1551Trent · ItalyThe council passed a decree on original sin and baptism, affirming that Adam's sin is transmitted to all humanity, that baptism washes away original sin, and distinguishing original sin from personal guilt, directly responding to Lutheran debates over human corruption and grace in the context of justification by faith alone.
2. 1552Trent · ItalyThe council issued decrees and canons on justification, emphasizing human cooperation in grace, the role of good works and the sacraments in the process of being made righteous, and rejecting core Lutheran propositions such as salvation by faith alone and the impossibility of losing justification once attained, becoming a programmatic text of Catholic counter-reform polemic.
3. 1552Trent · ItalyThe seventh session passed general decrees on the sacraments, confirming that the seven sacraments were instituted by Christ, contain visible symbols and invisible grace, and stipulating that decrees on each sacrament would be considered in stages. In April 1552 the council adjourned again due to imperial political changes and issues raised by Protestant representatives, and only after the third resumption in 1562 were the remaining decrees on the sacraments and papal authority finalized.