This week in Christian history: ‘Christmas Conference,' Pius IV elected

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, December 19, 2021

Pope Pius IV elected pope – Dec. 25, 1559

Pope Pius IV (1499-1565), the head of the Roman Catholic Church who championed the Counter-Reformation and reconvened the Council of Trent. | Wikimedia Commons

This week marks the anniversary of when Giovanni Angelo de’ Medici was elected head of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pius IV upon becoming pope.

Under his reign, Pius IV successfully reconvened the Council of Trent, which had been suspended since 1552, and saw the church gathering to its conclusion.

“Pius confirmed its decrees and definitions in his bull Benedictus Deus … on the following November 3, he published a summary of doctrine generally known as the Professio Fidei Tridentina (‘Tridentine Profession of the Faith’), imposing it on the bishops as obligatory,” explained Britannica.

“Pius also encouraged St. Teresa of Ávila’s celebrated Carmelite reform and reduced the powers of the Inquisition. Having revived the Roman university, he launched an energetic building program, patronizing Michelangelo.”