VIII. Speech of Archbishop of Reggio, January 18, 1562

The Reformers had appealed to the inspired Scriptures as the sole rule of faith and practice. Trent answered the claim by asserting the presence of continual inspiration residing in the Catholic Church, and making tradition the outgrowth of this continual, churchly inspiration. It appealed to the long-established change of the Sabbath into Sunday as standing proof of the inspired authority of the church, declaring that the change had not been made by the command of Christ but on the authority of the Catholic Church, which change Protestants accept. Ever since Trent the change of Sabbath into Sunday has been pointed to by Roman Catholics as the mark, or sign, of the church’s power to be able to change even the fourth commandment of the Decalogue. ^{31See vernacular Catechisms, such as those by Keenan, Geiermann, and Tuberville.}PFF2 477.2

1. SABBATH CHANGED BY AUTHORITY OF CATHOLIC CHURCH

In the first session of the closing period of the council the tradition of the church was boldly set above Scripture, and the fact that the church had changed the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority, was offered as proof. These remarkable statements occur in a speech made in the seventeenth session, on January 18, 1562, by Caspar del Fosso (or Gaspare Ricciulli), archbishop of Reggio di Calabria:PFF2 477.3

“Since the Scripture received its authority not from human will, but from God Himself, for that reason there was never any sane man who would have presumed to contradict it or oppose to it anything false, inconsistent, or idle. Likewise the church acquired from the Lord no less authority, so that whoever has heard or rejected her may be said to have heard or rejected God Himself. To her it has been given to distinguish between the canonical and apocryphal, the catholic and the heretical, to interpret the scriptures faithfully, to reject foreign and harmful things, and to embrace useful things. Therefore not amiss did Augustine say that he would not believe the Gospel if the authority of the church had not admonished him to ....PFF2 477.4

“Such is the condition of the heretics of this age that upon nothing do they rely more than that, under the pretense of the word of God, they overthrow the authority of the church, as if the church, His body, could be opposed to the word of Christ, or the head to the body. Nay, rather, the authority of the church, then, is most emphatically illustrated by the Scriptures; for while on the one hand she recommends them, declares them to be divine, presents them to us to be read, in doubtful matters explains them faithfully, and condemns whatever is contrary to them; on the other hand, the legal precepts taught by the Lord in the Scriptures have by the same authority become invalid. The sabbath day, the most distinguished day under the law, has passed over into the Lord’s day; circumcision enjoined upon Abraham and his seed under such threatening that he who had not been circumcised should be destroyed from among his people has been so set aside that the apostle asserted, If ye be circumcised, ye have fallen from grace, and Christ profits you nothing. These and precepts similar to these have not become invalid by a declaration of Christ (for he says that he came to fulfil the law, not to abolish it), but they have been changed by the authority of the church. For should this authority be overthrown (since heresy is bound to exist), who would make known the truth, and confound the obstinacy of the heretics? All things will be confused, and heresies which have been condemned by the authority of the church will soon return.” ^{32Translated from Mansi, op. cit., vol. 33, cols. 529, 530; Latin original also in Concilium Tridentinum Diariorum, Actorum, Epistularum, Tractatuum Nova Collectio (A New Collection of the Journals, the Acts, the Epistles, the Sermons of the Council of Trent), vol. 8, pp. 294, 297; see also Fra Paolo Sarpi, Histoire du concile de Trente, vol. 2, pp. 260, 261. For English translation of this extract see Source Book for Bible Students (1940 ed.), p. 604. For data on Del Fosso, see Heinrich Julius Holtzmann, Kanon und Tradition. Ein Beitrag zur neueren Dog-mengeschichte und Symbolik (Canon and Tradition. A Contribution to the More Recent History of Dogma and Symbols), p. 263: see also Source Book, pp. 603, 604.}PFF2 478.1

2. CLOSING ACCLAMATIONS AT CONCLUSION OF SESSION

At the close of the last session, after the decrees of the council had been read, the motion to end the council and to seek confirmation of all decrees and definitions from Pope Pius IV was assented to. Then the cardinal of Lorraine led in the acclamations of the fathers, which reached a climax in the pledge to confess the faith of the Council of Trent and observe its decrees.PFF2 478.2

“The Cardinal: We all believe thus; we all think the same, agreeing and embracing them, we all subscribe. This is the faith of blessed Peter and of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of the orthodox.PFF2 478.3

“Reply: Thus we believe; thus we think; thus we subscribe.” ^{33Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, session 25, Dec. 3, 4, 1563, pp. 256-258.}PFF2 478.4

In closing, the cardinal exclaimed, “Anathema to all here tics,” to which the delegates answered, “Anathema, anathema.” The council closed with this statement and response, after which the 265 delegates were commanded to sign the edicts of the council before leaving the city. Trent had ended.PFF2 479.1