This dissertation is a case study that explores the response of an undefeated international organization to deep-rooted religiously motivated conflict in the sixteenth century. It seeks answers to w hat occurs at the intersection of religion, organization and violence and how organization members conclude that violence is an appropriate response to conflict. The Catholic Church's response the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is reviewed in a broad perspective that considers organizational, intellectual, economic, theological, political and psychological variables. Its core focus is on the convocation, conduct, conclusion and influence of the Council of Trent. An analysis of the dynamics of the Council is conducted concerning its internal and external negotiations, the sequence and content of its decisions and its influence on the larger Church organization. It concludes with an analysis of the interaction of the ideas of religious charity and justice with the concepts of purity and pollution.