We mentioned last time that the fifteenth century had inherent forces at work for reform and that the highest authorities in the Church and State saw the “virulence of the disease by which Western Christendom was afflicted.”[1]
Questions had been forced to the fore by several things.
First, the bold movements in Bohemia with Jan Huss and others were at work as were the efforts of the Lollards in England, though repressed on both fronts.
In addition to these bolder movements, there was also a quest among more conservative elements for a “gradual restoration of discipline of morals, to a reorganization of the ecclesiastical system fast dying and decomposing, and ultimately to the recovery of the Primitive Faith, which is embodied in our English Service-Books and The Articles of Religion.”[2]
Some striking examples are set forth.
The Council of Pisa was assembled on 25 March 1409. The Great Schism had lasted thirty years, since 1378. No measures, ecclesiastical, political or military had brought the rivalries of the Avignon and Roman papacies to a resolution, aided and abetted by the pride, obstinancy, nepotism and greed of the dueling factions.[3] The Council of Pisa was designed to bring peace and establish order. The eyes, attention and hopes of Western Christendom centred on this Council.
Attendees at the Cathedral of Pisa, Italy: 4 patriarchs, 22 cardinals, 80 bishops, proxy clergy representing 100 absent bishops, 41 priors and generals of religious orders, 300 doctors of theology or canon law, as well as ambassadors from all the Christian kingdoms. Following the admission of testimonials and affidavits, the rival Popes were declared “contumacious” by this numerous and august body of medieval leaders.
Quite a ruling on the Popes by the subordinates at the Council. It was a sweep at the top.
Things must have really heated up when the Patriarch of Alexandria, Simon de Cramaud, addressed the assembly about the rival Popes. It was a grenade in a Roman tinderbox. He stated:
"Benedict XIII and Gregory XII are recognised as schismatics, the approvers and makers of schism, notorious heretics, guilty of perjury and violation of solemn promises, and openly scandalizing the universal Church. In consequence, they are declared unworthy of the Sovereign Pontificate, and are ipso facto deposed from their functions and dignities, and even driven out of the Church. It is forbidded to them henceforward to consider themselves to be Sovereign Pontiffs and all proceedings and promotions made by them are annulled. The Holy See is declared vacant and the faithful are set free from their promise of obedience."[4]
That didn't sound so nice, but this met with applause, the singing of the Te Deum, with the order for a solemn procession and the Feast of Corpus Christi. The members happily signed the decree deposing the Avignon and Roman Popes thinking this was the end of it.[5] It wasn't, but that's for another day. We could write an ensuing chapter on the additional dysfunctions and disorders following this council.
The Council through the College of Cardinals elected the new Pope, Alexander V. The election was expected. It was announced throughout Christendom and was joyously received.
This Council itself would set up additional questions: How could Cardinals, appointed by anafractuous, dueling and hostile Popes, convene anything with even an appearance of apostolic authority? Ergo, was their decision canonically valid? Can a General Council overturn Papal decrees? Ultimately, Vatican One would solve that one.
However, following this Council, the elected Pope's legitimacy was questioned and, in short, there were three factions wandering around Europe, contending to the be real Pope and Vicar of Christ on earth. The stakes were as high as was the hubris and greed. One is reminded of a parodied old TV show, "Will the real Pope please stand up?" Acrimony results when all three stand up and look at each other with bulging eyes.
Suffice it to suffice, for our purposes here. If you think the days of Luther were chaotic--and they were--the fifteenth century was turbulent and reform was in the air.
More to follow.
[1] Hardwick, op.cit., 9.
[2] Hardwick, op.cit., 9.
[3] The Avignon Palace in France has a cool basement in more than one sense of the word. Very large. Very cool in terms of temperature. And very “cool” since it was large enough for all the money and taxes they collected. The cash was kept on the premises. The Pope also had a secret stairwell to his chambers for late night trysts with local ladies, a rather un-Petrine thing to have. The papal chambers have various graffiti markings through the centuries since the fifteenth century. I observed one dated 1648.
[4] http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12112b.htm of date 19 Jul 2009. This is an excellent article by the Romanists with a nihil obstat.
[5] We do well to remind ourselves that Roman apologists will often crow about the unity of the see of Rome. The Great Schism and the numerous and repeated inter-mural hostilities between various orders characterized the period. Where possible, when unity was difficult, it enforced by politicking, quid pro quos, the interdict, inquisition, and other "tools of Papal trade," including imprisonments and outright murders, e.g. the Lollards and Waldensians.
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