An ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, which met in three sessions the city of Trento in northern Italy. It defined the doctrines of the Church in opposition to those of the Reformation, reformed discipline, and strengthened the authority of the papacy. Its first session (1545–47), produced a ruling against Luther’s doctrine of justification by faith alone. The brief second session (1551–52) included a rejection of the Lutheran and Zwinglian positions on the Eucharist. By the third session (1562–63), any lingering hopes of reconciliation with the Protestants had disappeared. Various works recommended or initiated by the Council were handed over to the pope for completion, these included the revision of the Vulgate version of the Bible (finally completed in 1592). The Council thus provided the foundation for a revitalized Roman Catholic Church in the Counter‐Reformation.