The Catholic response: the Council of Trent

The Counter-Reformation, also called the Catholic Reformation, was Rome's institutional and spiritual response to the success of Protestantism, combining orthodox doctrinal reaffirmation with disciplinary renewal of the clergy. Pope Paul III convened the Council of Trent through the bull "Laetare Hierusalem" (1544), choosing Trent, in the Holy Roman Empire but on neutral ground, as its seat. The council met across three discontinuous periods, 1545-1547, 1551-1552, and 1562-1563, spanning the pontificates of Paul III, Julius III, and Pius IV, with interruptions caused by epidemics, war, and diplomatic tension; between 200 and 270 bishops and theologians took part, predominantly from Italy and Spain.