The election of Trevisan, the first religious after a series of lay prelates chosen from among patricians, was a compromise to obtain from the pope the formalization of a tradition, namely the choice of the patriarch by the government of the Republic of Venice.

Trevisan himself was involved in the counciliar work: he proposed to include the episcopate among the holy orders, participated in the debate on clandestine marriages and signed the reform of the Index of prohibited books.

Borromeo invited the pope to send an apostolic visitor and Alberto Bolognetti was chosen, with the support of the Venetian bishops Federico Cornaro and Agostino Valier, in order not to create tensions with the government.

It was preceded by a similar initiative by the Senate which, on 23 April 1579, had established the ducal seminary for the training of the clergy destined for the basilica of San Marco, which was under direct control of the Doge's Palace.

In the subsequent interrogation he gave vague answers and he was not collaborative: he shared the fear of the Senate that Rome would make an end to the old tradition that the parish priests were elected by the pocal population.

Naturally, the two bishops were not satisfied with his conduct and on 11 August 1581 they issued provisions in which they reaffirmed the need to apply the Tridentine decrees, in particular with regard to pastoral visits, Sunday preaching and control over the life of the clergy.