Final answer:
The Council of Trent from 1545-63 addressed reforms in response to the Protestant Reformation, reaffirming Catholic doctrine and implementing church practice reforms, including the Doctrine of Merit, sacraments validity, and religious art.
Step-by-step explanation:
The series of meetings of leading Catholic clergymen from 1545-63 that you are referring to is the Council of Trent. This was a pivotal event in the history of the Catholic Church, which addressed the issues raised by Martin Luther's Reformation.
The Council took place over eighteen years and concluded with reaffirmations of Catholic doctrines while implementing significant reforms in church practices.
The Council of Trent denied the Lutheran idea of justification by faith alone and held fast to the Doctrine of Merit, which emphasized the role of good works and sacraments in one's salvation. It also maintained the validity of all seven sacraments, the necessity of religious art, the concept of Purgatory, and the authority of Scripture alongside the Church's teachings and traditions.
It was an ecumenical council organized by the Church to address the issues raised by Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. The Council of Trent affirmed the Doctrine of Merit, the existence of Purgatory, the importance of all seven sacraments, the necessity of religious art, and the authority of scripture and Church teachings and traditions.