Protestants and Catholics Reach Agreement

Hello everyone. I have been an observer on this site for a good while now, but I’m finally deciding to create my first thread.

A bit of background: We all know about the Protestant Reformation, and if you’re on this site and don’t know about it, well, I don’t even know what to say to that. Anyway, in the 1550s, Charles V and the Pope at the time decided that, since their attempts to crush the Reformation by force had, despite numerous successes such as the very recent Schmalkadic War, failed in the end, they resolved to end the Reformation by diplomatic means instead. This manifested in the Council of Trent in 1555, during which numerous Protestant leaders and theologians were invited to share their disagreements with Catholic practice and debate on the aspects of the faith. It possibly could’ve worked; at least, had the hoped numbers of Protestant leaders actually shown up. Instead, they ignored Charles’ efforts at compromise, and continued the Reformation.

What if, during the Council of Trent, Protestant delegates had actually decided to attend the Council and, by the time the council had concluded, the disagreements had been solved and Western, Central and Northern Europe were religiously reunited? I feel this is the best opportunity to end the Reformation diplomatically, as it came long before the Thirty Years’ War and the related atrocities of both sides driving the wedge deeper and deeper. It would also, to the advantage of the Protestant theologians, probably be viewed as them having “won” in a sense, as they had managed to outlast long enough to force the Catholics to compromise.

What are your thoughts on this?
 
For the most part Protestantism wasn't a united movement, and already by this point there are numerous divergent churches and theological movements. You could perhaps get some of them to rejoin the Catholic fold, but I don't think one could compromise in a way that would satisfy all or even a most of them.

edit: also, the Protestants and a good portion of the Catholics by the time of Trent are committed to confessionalism, so its not like the Church can return to its Medieval role as a big tent.
 
The council actually first met in 1545 but neither side was much interested in compromise. A few Protestants were there at first but quickly left. Many Catholic prelates also boycotted. By this point the Lutherans and Calvinists had already written out their fundamental dogmas (in the Augsburg Confession and the Institution of the Christian Religion, respectively). The rival sides were already there and hated each other. Compromise, if possible, needed to happen really early on, like the 1520s.
 

Philip

Donor
As others have pointed out, there are several challenges to overcome.

  • Trent is probably too late. The Catholics, Lutherans and Calvinists had already spelt out their confession and were not willing to compromise.
  • Other protestant groups like the Anabaptists are not organized in a manner the leads to a hierarchical council.
  • The Anglicans. Their dispute is(at least initially) more about papal authority. I simply see no way Rome can accommodate them at Trent.
  • Politics. Many German princes found it politically expedient to to support the protestants. Some were true believers. Some saw a chance to weaken the emperor. Some both.
  • Economics. In many cases, the protestant movement offered a quick solution of budgetary problems. See Dissolution of the Monasteries.
By the time of Trent, there are too many movements and motivations for there to be a single solution to the issue of unity.
 
Top