The history of the councils permits the recognition of four traditional types of Oecumenical Council - the Old-christian Bishops' Council, which was convened by the Emperor and decided questions of dogma and disci pline; the Papal General Council of the middle ages, which was convened, guided and confirmed by the Pope and which, both by reason of the sub jects to be dealt with and the personal constitution thereof, represented Christendom; the councils of the 15th century claimed to act as Church Par liaments; the Council of Trient, which again reverted to the twO first types and to which the...

The comparison of the two Councils is caused by the observation of the fact that the Second Vatican Counci1 has widely been regarded as arevision of the Counci1 of Trent. It is a reality that Vaticanum II, conforming to the objective given to it by Pope John XXIII, avoided condemning divergent views in its doctrinal decrees. The Tridentinum had very strict1y marked the doctrinal differences separating Protestantism from Catholicism - and it had been obliged to do so - in order to overcome the uncertainty that had arisen in matters of faith. In the decree that deals with oecumenism Vaticanum...