Reporting of Radioromalibera.org
Of Lorenzo Benedetti
Trento, December 1545: it opens, in the solemn setting of the cathedral of San Vigilio, the nineteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, destined to become a cornerstone in world history and to clearly and rigorously define doctrinal aspects, theological, disciplinary, hierarchies at the dawn of the modern age. The assembly of bishops, convened by Paul III and met for almost twenty years, defined the theory of justification, reiterated the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, created the seminaries, he condemned the heretical theses of the reformed, regulated the Sacraments instituted by Jesus himself as Tradition teaches: an epochal moment in the history of Christianity, which saw the most enlightened minds of the time converge precisely in Trentino «to the praise and glory of God, to increase the Christian faith and religion», come scrisse Joseph Hergenröther.
Trento and its territory have always been a crossroads of men, armies, culture, idea, but the region has incessantly kept its traditions and identity intact: this is why she was chosen, for example, as the seat of the council responsible for recomposing the Lutheran schism, by virtue of the intermediate position between Italy and Central Europe, center equidistant from the countries involved in the meeting, as well as for his proven loyalty to the papacy.
The people
The history of Trentino is a Catholic history: evangelized in the 4th century, it was elevated to an episcopal principality by Conrad II in 1027 and gave the Church extraordinary figures of pastors: Federico von Wangen, imperial vicar of Frederick II, guaranteed the city a period of economic prosperity by regulating the exploitation of the silver mines of Mount Calisio through the first mining statute in Europe, he began the renovation of the Cathedral in its current guise and left the diocese only to fight in the Fifth Crusade; the Cistercian Henry of Metz, chancellor of Henry VII e
great renovator, he made extensive use of diocesan synods, he fomented a more intense spirituality and built new churches including Sant'Apollinare; his successor Giorgio of Liechtenstein faced the popular revolt led by Rodolfo Belenzani and refused to bow to the flattery of the schismatic Baldassarre Cossa, swearing obedience to the legitimate pontiff Martin V.
The context
However, it was during the Renaissance that the city and its surroundings experienced their most flourishing period: Prince Bernardo Clesio, expert in law and cultured diplomat, he was appointed bishop by Leo 1514 and decisively faced the Rustic War of 1525, an armed peasant revolt that arose to free themselves from the yoke of taxes and obtain freedom of hunting and trade. Advisor to Maximilian I, he was among Charles V's electors for the imperial title and became his delegate for foreign policy, field in which he proved to be skilled and capable of mediating with the weak Clement VII, by whom he was appointed cardinal.
Clesio refounded the city he governed: friend of Erasmus of Rotterdam, the exercise of. spread throughout the principality human literatureand the taste of culture, encouraged the markets, he renovated the aqueducts, he called artists of the caliber of the Dossi brothers, he reorganized the urban layout and restored the Castello del Buon Consiglio, fortified residence of the bishops. He had the Magno Palazzo built, heart of the richly decorated and beautifully designed complex beneath his
direction: within, the manor presents frescoes of the cycle of the months, valuable testimony to the social and economic history of Trentino in the 15th century, and houses a museum which preserves artefacts from Roman history, medieval and recent of the city.
The Catholic imprint
The Madruzzo family ruled the fiefdom in the following century thanks to the personal qualities of its members: Cardinal Cristoforo hosted and organized the sessions of the Council of Trent, his nephew Ludovico implemented the decisions of the meeting and presided since 1596 the Roman commission against Molinism, while the cardinal Carlo Gaudenzio eradicated heresy from rural areas and served in dozens of congregations. Throughout the eighteenth century, the shepherds stood out for their loyalty to Rome and vehemently opposed Josephinism, to secular interference and the unstoppable Napoleonic current.
Ecclesiastical rule has shaped the region and left a legacy that demonstrates the strong and positive imprint of the Church in history: jewels such as the Renaissance basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Palazzo delle Albere, the Neptune Fountain, eighteenth-century work intended to improve public health, the Torre Vanga are to be counted among the great legacies of Catholic culture.
Source: http://flermailcos.acemlna.com/lt.php?s=47907300dc1b423136144fa5536ebe95&i=650A741A41A68106