The Council of Trent was a direct response to Martin Luther's 95 Theses and the creation of Lutheranism. At the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church reaffirmed four important elements of the church. First, they denied Lutheran's teachings and reaffirmed that humans can redeem themselves through good works. Another element that the Catholic Church reaffirmed was the fact that purgatory does indeed exist and prayers help shorten a person's stay in purgatory. Along with this, the church also reaffirmed the importance of all seven sacraments and the overall importance of following the teachings of the church.