Julius III's successor, Pope Paul IV, Gian Pietro Caraffa, born in Capriglio on 28 June 1476 and died in Rome on 18 August 1559, was very intransigent and the Council had to wait for the arrival of Pius IV, Gian Angelo Medici or Medighino, born in Milan on 31 March 1499 and died in Rome on 9 December 1565, before it could resume. The refusal of the Protestants and the French to take part in a Council that they felt was too closely linked to Rome delayed the start of the sessions once again. They resumed on 18 January 1562 and focused on forbidden books, communion and the sacrifice of the Mass. The Emperor asked for the abolition of priestly celibacy and for lay people to be allowed to hold the chalice, but these questions were referred to the Pope, who was of course opposed to them. The following sessions dragged on, a new tactic of the Church to silence the opposition. The boredom and discouragement of the participants made it easy to adopt decrees on the celibacy of priests, on purgatory, on the adoration of saints and the worship of relics, on youth, etc. The end of the Council was proclaimed on 4 December 1563, and the decisions were confirmed by the Pope in January 1564.
Summary The results of the Council were not what the Emperor and the people of Europe had hoped for. It failed to bring Protestants back into the fold of the Church, and on the contrary, the opposition between the two religions became clearer. Nevertheless, the Council had the merit of fixing Catholic doctrine and abolishing a good number of abuses. Its decrees were accepted almost unreservedly throughout Europe.
Gian Pietro Caraffa (Paul IV) Gian Angelo Medici or Medighino (Pius IV)
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Iconographic sources : Gian Pietro Caraffa (Paul IV) - Gian Angelo Medici or Medighino (Pius IV)
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