Pope Pius IV
Giovanni Angelo Medici was born at Milan in 1499. Though he bore the name, he was not of the Florentine Medici family. A lawyer and papal administrator, he was made cardinal in 1549 and elected pope on December 25, 1559, after the harsh reign of Paul IV. He had Paul IV’s nephews tried and executed, and appointed his own nephew, Charles Borromeo, to direct papal affairs.
His great work was the completion of the Council of Trent. He reconvened it in January 1562, and under the skillful management of Cardinal Morone it closed on December 4, 1563. Pius confirmed its decrees in January 1564, published the Tridentine Index in March, and in November issued the Profession of Faith, often called the Creed of Pius IV, to be sworn by all bishops, priests, and teachers. It ends with an oath:
This true Catholic faith, outside of which no one can be saved, which at present I readily profess and truly hold, I, N. promise, vow, and swear, that I will most steadfastly retain and confess the same entire and undefiled to the last breath of life.1 The Profession of the Tridentine FaithPius IV, 1564
The Profession bound the Roman clergy to the Tridentine doctrines of tradition, the seven sacraments, the sacrifice of the mass, purgatory, indulgences, and obedience to the Roman pontiff. With additions in 1877, it remained in use until the Second Vatican Council. Pius died on December 9, 1565.
