Pope Pius IV issued a Papal bull confirming the decrees of the Council of Trent that defined Catholic doctrine in the face of the Protestant Reformation.

The Pope granted the Latin title Fidei defensor to Henry after he published a book in which he defended Catholic doctrine against the criticisms levelled at it by Martin Luther in his Ninety-five Theses during the early stages of the Protestant Reformation.

The belief was that God would intervene to protect Savonarola from the flames, but he and his opponents squabbled for so long that a rainstorm eventually led to the cancellation of the event.