Too Late, Church, Too Late

                          The Council of Trent occurred in response to the Protestant Reformation.

There, they addressed and mended many of the grievances that Luther had voiced. 

1. Clerical Pluralism 

Bishops were forced to live in their own dioceses and had to actually attend to their duties there. 

2. Selling of Indulgences and Excessive Papal Wealth 

3. Education 

Catholics encouraged widespread learning of the Bible, and achieved this through the teaching of the Jesuit priests.  

The Council was successful in terms of changes within the organization of the Church, but occurred  much too late. 

By the time these decisions were made and enforced, Protestantism had already been established throughout Europe. 

Additionally, the Church refused to change anything in the doctrine, including transubstantiation.  However, if the Church had addressed the organizational problems earlier, Luther may have accepted the few doctrinal issues which he had voiced, and remained apart of the Catholic Church.