Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Note on Transcriptions
- Note on Money
- Introduction
- 1 Humanism and Honour in the Making of Alessandro Farnese
- 2 Pathways to Honour
- 3 Tradition and Reform
- 4 The Consilium and Reform Constrained
- 5 Pax et Concordia – Politics and Reform
- 6 The Ottoman Threat
- 7 The Council of Trent
- 8 Reform in the Twilight Years
- About the Author
- Index
4 - The Consilium and Reform Constrained
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2020
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Note on Transcriptions
- Note on Money
- Introduction
- 1 Humanism and Honour in the Making of Alessandro Farnese
- 2 Pathways to Honour
- 3 Tradition and Reform
- 4 The Consilium and Reform Constrained
- 5 Pax et Concordia – Politics and Reform
- 6 The Ottoman Threat
- 7 The Council of Trent
- 8 Reform in the Twilight Years
- About the Author
- Index
Summary
Abstract
In 1535, Paul III set up a reform Commission composed of outstanding Churchmen and tasked them with producing a comprehensive reform program. Their program, the Consilium de emendanda ecclesia, was long on condemnatory rhetoric but, grounded in tradition, short on practical steps forward. It lacked engagement of cultural issues, especially those which promoted enhancement of Church and family honour through the accrual of benefices. Indeed, acting on the Consilium would have dismantled pathways to honour and created social unrest in a fragile period when Rome was under external threat. While Paul brought in other prelates to work with the Commissioners, overall no viable ways forward emerged.
Keywords: Reform Commission, Consilium; benefice system; practical rationality
On his ascent to the papal throne Alessandro Farnese began to play out the role according to the script that had been imparted to him. This included declaring himself for reform and a Council. Consistent with his usual inclination, he began with caution, seeking advice, consensus and support. While he was like his immediate predecessors in exercising a monarchic papacy, he valued advice and preferred to take people with him in his decisions. Thus, in late 1534, he sent out legates to consult the European princes and to bring them on board in holding a Council. Meantime, he set up a preliminary Commission for ‘the reform of morals’ consisting of three cardinals. A little over three months later the new pope gave this group the admonition that in their reform work they should ‘consider well the circumstances of the times’. In other words, reform should match aspiration with what was actually doable given the present realities.
Paul was also aware that attempting to achieve the reform advice he needed with a group of existing insiders was unlikely to be sufficient. So he began to bring upright, reform-minded men to Rome to advise him on how to chart the reform course in more depth. The men that Paul called to the task were logical choices: outstanding in reputation and intellect and most of them long experienced in ecclesial office or in relations with the curia.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Pope Paul III and the Cultural Politics of Reform1534–1549, pp. 103 - 128Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2020