The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

CHAPTER VI.
The Mission of Commendone and Delfino to Germany.
Pius IV. and his advisers, by their carefully considered and,
in various points, intentionally vague wording of the buU of
convocation of November 29th, 1560, wished, as far as possible,
to avoid giving offence to the powers, and to evade the danger-
ous controversial question as to the relation existing between
the Council now summoned to Trent, and the former assembly
held there. Out of consideration for the Emperor and France,
the word " continuation " was not used, while, out of con-
sideration for Spain, the convocation of a new Council was not
definitely mentioned. As far as principle was concerned,
however, nothing was yielded by this ;
the highly impoitant
question of the validity of the previous decrees remained only
in apparent abeyance. The basing of the convocation on
the historical fact that the Council had already been assembled
on two occasions, and not brought to a conclusion, but only
adjourned, as well as the use of the significant expression
" under repeal of each and every suspension " pointed clearly
to a continuation, and let ii be seen that a renewed discussion
of decrees already promulgated, contrary as it was to Catholic
principles, would not be tolerated. On the other hand, the
words " We summon a Council " made it possible for the
Emperor and,France to see therein a concession to their wishes.
In this way an attempt was made to do justice to both views,
although they were incompatible and irreconcilable.^
^ See Steinherz, I., 172. Reimann says: "the bull causes
a very high opinion of the skill of the 3 Cardinals and 12 canonists,
of whose manifold deliberations it was the result." (Unterhandlungen,
614). Cf. also Dembinski, Ryzm, I., 228 seq., and Ehses,
Schlussakt des Konzils, 45.
216