The Council of Trent

From the late 1530s, Paul III quietly moved away from reform. Nevertheless, as a matter of honour, he continued to pursue his long-standing commitment to hold a General Council. But the pope’s priorities for it were limited to the achievement of peace between Christian princes, unity in the Church and defeat of the infidel. Despite many obstacles, Paul managed finally to convene the Council at Trent in 1545. The first years of the Council had minimal success in achieving its goals and little impact on reform which Paul largely contained. However, both Paul and the Council did sow the seeds of episcopal residence in single dioceses, a reform that would eventually become a core part of the Counter-Reformation.