The Council of Trent: The Thirteenth Session

The 16th century was an exciting time of economic and political growth and exploration. The Renaissance, which sparked Humanism, prompted intellectual growth, which stimulated critical questions on topics such as the church fathers, and scripture that gave a completely new approach to looking at the Bible. The birth of the European Reformation (or Protestantism) is often marked by Martin Luther’s posting of The Ninety-Five Theses on October 31, 1517 protesting the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences. Luther’s initial intent was not to separate and divide the Holy Mother Church, but to reform ill practices and corruption. However, his good intention grew into a great schism in the Church as doctrinal and canonical differences were challenged, resulting in the Council of Trent as the Church’s response to both institutional and theological issues. It is the background to the Council of Trent and theological decrees that will be addressed this writing, particularly that of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist in session thirteen.
The Reformation has maintained its status as the controversy in western theology despite the centuries that have passed since its occurrence. This controversy remains the decisive historical event that changed the Catholic Church forever. The Reformation is a complicated event with numerous contributing factors: political/historical, intellectual, technological and widespread corruption in the church. Martin Luther and John Calvin are often referred to as the fathers of the reformation period due to their theological interpretations and challenges to reform the abuses in the Catholic Church. While others had attempted reform previously their efforts were unsuccessful. The technology of the printing press was a valuable political tool, used by the Reformation leaders to spread their agenda against the Church. It fostered wider dissemination of their criticisms and ideas; this, coupled by widespread corruption and abuses