WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Council of Trent was the formal Roman Catholic reply to the doctrinal challenges of the Protestant Reformation . It served to define Catholic doctrine and made sweeping decrees on self-reform, helping to revitalize the Roman Catholic Church in the face of Protestant expansion.

Detailed explanation-2: -Pope Paul III, who convoked the Council, oversaw the first eight sessions (1545–47), while the twelfth to sixteenth sessions (1551–52) were overseen by Pope Julius III and the seventeenth to twenty-fifth sessions (1562–63) by Pope Pius IV.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Catholic Church viewed Protestantism and Reformed iconoclasm as a threat to the church and in response came together at the Council of Trent to institute some of their own reforms.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Council of Trent focused on defending and elaborating on Catholic doctrine, as well as answering the criticisms of members of the Protestant faith. It affirmed that both faith and works were necessary for salvation, clarified the importance of sacraments, and improved clergy discipline and education.

Detailed explanation-5: -As Protestantism swept across many parts of Europe, the Catholic Church reacted by making limited reforms, curbing earlier abuses, and combating the further spread of Protestantism. This movement is known as the Catholic Counter-Reformation.