What concessions did the Council of Trent make to the doctrinal criticisms of the Protestants?

Answer 1

Catholic AnswerNone.

The Protestant "revolt" did bring about a lot of Church reform, for instance, in the seminaries, and the strengthening of doctrine through explicit statements at the Council of Trent; but there were no concessions:

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Protestant Reformation: the revolt from the Catholic Church in Western Europe begun and carried to its height in the 16th century. It differed from all previous heretical movements in that it was not concerned with one or a few definite points of doctrine but was directed against the whole complex and system of Christianity as then understood; it gave licence to the human self in the spiritual and religious order. Its principal causes were: the excessive temporal power, wealth and privilege which accrued to the higher clergy, the wicked, worldly and careless lives of many of the clergy, secular and regular, and the decay of philosophy and theology (these resulted partly from the Renaissance) with consequent low standard of spiritual life among the people generally; the weakening of the authority of the Holy See, following the Great Schism, increased by the humanistic corruption of the papal court; the parallel insurgence of secular princes. Its principal motives were: desire for the purity of religion and godliness of life which, from the state of the clergy, precipitated a violent and unreasoning anti-clericalism which degenerated into contempt for all spiritual authority; the national ambitions of secular princes which flourished in the break-up of the Catholic integrity of Europe; an appetite for spoil and, as in England, fear of having to give up looted ecclesiastical wealth; in some, a hatred of the Church and Faith which can be attributed only to the direct working of the Devil. The principal results of the Reformation were: the true reform of the Church "in head and members" effected by the Council of Trent and the revivification of Catholicism so thoroughly achieved that it remains vital to this day (The Counter-reformation); the putting of countless souls, notably in Great Britain, Scandinavia and the German parts of the Empire, in enmity to the Church and consequently outside those means provided by Christ for man to know and attain to God; the disappearance of any "higher unity" holding together the diverse peoples and nations of Europe, the inoculation of men with naturalistic and humanitarian (as opposed to theocentric) philosophy which is now the chiefest enemy of Christianity.

None, zip, nada. The Council of Trent made some reforms in things like the education of the clergy so that a another disaster like Martin Luther being ordained a priest while ignorant of his religion would never happen again. But they made no concessions nor changes, basically because they cannot change. The basic beliefs of the Catholic religion were revealed by Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, to His apostles. He then send the Holy Spirit to guide His infant Church until the end of the world, and guaranteed that the "gates of hell would not prevail against it." (See St. Matthew 16:17-19) Beliefs can grow, we can understand them more, but they cannot change. Those who wanted change were the heretics (protestants - "those who protested"), but we cannot change what God has revealed.

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The decrees of the Council of Trent were many and far ranging, covering practically the entire sweep of the doctrine of the Church. But for all that the Council of Trent was the most conservative of the twenty-one ecumenical councils held in the Church, breaking almost no new ground, defining no new doctrines; only reaffirming the Christian faith of the Church as it had constantly been taught for the fifteen centuries prior to that. A search on any bookstore will yield several volumes covering the degrees in depth. See related link below for a summary.

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from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Council of Trent

The 19th ecumenical council held at Trent in the Austrian Tyrol, 1545-63, summoned for the purpose of combating Protestantism and reforming the discipline of the Church; the longest and one of the most important of all general councils. It dealt in detail with the doctrinal innovations of the Reformers and with those gross abuses which gave them an opportunity to take root. It was one of the most important events of modern history and has had lasting effect. The principal dogmatic decisions were: the confirmation of the Nicene creed; the authenticity of the Latin Vulgate and the canonicity of all books contained therein and of them only; the definition of the doctrine of Original Sin; the precision of the doctrine of Justification, condemning justification by faith alone and imputation of grace; the condemnation of thirty errors about the sacraments; the definition of the Real Presence and of Transubstantiation as its mode: the precision of the doctrine of the sacraments of penance and Extreme Unction; the declaration that holy communion in both kinds was not necessary for lay-people and clerics not celebrating, Christ being received whole and entire under either species; the precision of doctrine concerning the sacrifice of the Mass and the sacraments of holy Orders and Matrimony; the affirmation of the doctrines of Purgatory, of the invocation of saints, and the veneration of them, their relics and images, and of Indulgences. Far-reaching decrees of reformation in discipline and morals were adopted involving many alterations in canon law, e.g. the decree Tametsi.

Answer 2

The Council of Trent maintained traditional Catholic doctrines while making some concessions to address Protestant criticisms. It reaffirmed the authority of scripture and tradition, emphasized the importance of faith and good works for salvation, and clarified certain teachings such as the role of indulgences and justification by grace. However, it did not compromise on key theological points such as the nature of the sacraments or the authority of the Pope.