THE YEAR OF THREE POPES
*THE YEAR OF THREE POPES IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 1409*
*Key Terms*
Avignon Papacy: The period from 1309 to 1377, during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon, France, rather than in Rome.
Antipope: A person who, in opposition to the one who is generally seen as the legitimately elected pope, makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the pope.
The Western Schism, or Papal Schism, was a split within the Roman Catholic Church that lasted from 1378 to 1417. During that time, three men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance (1414–1418). For a time these rival claims to the papal throne damaged the reputation of the office.
*The Story*
Western Schism, also called Great Schism or Great Western Schism, in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the period from 1378 to 1417, is when there were two, and later three, rival popes, each with his own Sacred College of Cardinals, and his own administrative offices. Shortly after the return of the papal residence to Rome following almost 70 years of the Avignon papacy, the archbishop of Bari was elected pope as Urban VI amid demands by the Roman populace for “a Roman or at least an Italian.” From 1309 to 1376, the seat of the papacy resided in Avignon, France, rather than Rome. It was called Avignon Papacy. During this period, a lot of Catholics, particularly in Italy, and particularly in Rome, were sick of having French Popes as the papacy was in Avignon from 1309-1376. During the Avignon Papacy, there was a string of seven French popes based in France. It looked like the French crown owned the Catholic Church. Pope Gregory XI, the last of the popes in Avignon papacy moved the papal court back to Rome in 1376. He later felt the pressure. Two years later, that is, in 1378, Gregory XI died, and it was time to vote in a new pope. Note that from 1378 to 1417, the Catholic Church in Western Europe was split three times, each with its own Pope. The people of Rome, worried that they would get yet another French pope, exercised their own political power by rioting in the streets and intimidating the cardinals. The cardinals were not in a rush to get to heaven, so they accepted and elected an Italian pope. On April 8, 1378 the cardinals elected a Neapolitan when no viable Roman candidates presented themselves. Urban VI, whose real names are Bartolomeo Prignano, the Archbishop of Bari, was elected, as Pope. Urban had been a respected administrator in the papal chancery at Avignon, but as pope he proved suspicious, reformist, and prone to violent outbursts of temper. He was also coronated same period. Popes were coronated (that is, crowned as Kings) in those days, but was stopped recently.
Pope Urban VI turned out to hate the Cardinals, possibly because the majority of the Cardinals at the time were French. Remember that Pope Urban VI had jumped from archbishop (just beneath cardinal) to pope (just above cardinal). As the mobs of Rome previously established, the cardinals were not fond of violence aimed at cardinals. Due to the violent temper of Pope Urban VI and his attitudes towards the Cardinals, many of the cardinals who had elected him soon regretted their decision. So, they huddled back up and decided that the last papal election, in which they elected Pope Urban VI hardly counted, with all the threats of violence directed at the goodly cardinals. A new and less threatening electoral process was needed to amend the terrible mistake made by electing Urban VI. This likely did not improve Urban VI’s attitude toward cardinals. It probably didn’t make the Roman mobs happy, either, because the cardinals (who, remember, were mostly French) elected an even newer, French Pope, Robert of Geneva, as Clement VII in Anagni on September 20 1378. Pope Clement VII became a rival pope. The second election threw the church into turmoil, and it quickly escalated from a church problem to a diplomatic crisis that divided Europe. Europe split, with various crowns and kingdoms picking their favorite pope. Some liked the Avignon pope, others liked the Roman pope. The followers of the two popes were divided chiefly along national lines, and thus the dual papacy fostered the political antagonisms of the time.
Pope Clement VII, a French Pope (he was indeed from France), took his seat back in Avignon (France), at the Palais des Papes, right back where this whole thing started. *This is how the Catholic Church got two 14th-century popes.* Remember that the Infallibility of Pope has been pronounced before then, even some years back (Papal infallibility was developed in 519 AD during the time of Pope Hormosdas, and defined dogmatically under Pope Pius IX during Vatican Council I). It means there are two legitimate Popes who are Infallible. In a stroke of potentially divine intervention, the Church’s Pope Problem was nearly solved when both popes eventually died. Alas, letting a conflict simple disappear into the air is not the human way, so the cardinals on each side kept the conflict alive, electing replacements for their dead popes. *At this point, both Popes Clement VII and Urban VI have died, but their supporting Cardinals will elect new Popes.* Pope Boniface IX (Pietro Tomacelli, of Naples; 2 Nov 1389-1 Oct 1404) succeeded Urban VI, Pope Innocent VII (Cosimo de' Migliorati, of Sulmona; 17 Oct 1404-6 Nov 1406) succeeded Boniface IX, Pope Gregory XII (Angelo Correr, of Venice; 30 Nov 1406-abdicated 4 June 1415-died at Recanati 17 Oct 1417) succeeded Pope Innocent VII on the Rome faction. These Popes are recognized in the catalogue of Roman Catholic Popes as genuine Popes, while the other ones are recorded as Anti-Popes. Pope Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna, of Aragon; 28 Sept 1394-23 May 1423) was elected on the side of the Avignon to succeed Pope Clement VII. Pope Clement VIII (Gil Sánchez Muñoz, of Barcelona; 10 June 1423-16 July 1429) succeeded Benedict XIII on the side of Avignon. Pope Benedict XIV (Bernard Garnier; 12 Nov 1425-1430 (?)) succeeded Clemet VIII. You can see that after the end of Schism at the Council of Constance, the Avignon papacy did not stop immediately, it took another 13 years or more.
The spectacle of rival popes denouncing each other produced great confusion and resulted in a tremendous loss of prestige for the papacy. Various proposals for ending the schism were made, especially by the University of Paris (France), which suggested either mutual resignation or a decision by an independent tribunal or a general council. This last proposal was in line with the growing Conciliar movement, according to which a general council has greater authority than a pope. Both lines of popes refused to submit. Eventually cardinals from both obedience, seeking to end the schism, arranged the Council of Pisa (Pisa is a Province in Central Italy), which met in 1409. The idea was to make a compromise: the Avignon and Rome popes would resign, and the council would elect a new pope. That way, neither side would be happy. They elected a third pope, Alexander V. *Now, there are three Popes reigning at a time, in the year 1409 until November 1417, and they are legitimate Popes, though factions call one another illegitimate.* The Cardinals really got the ball rolling by electing a new pope, Alexander V (who may later be referred to as an Anti-Pope). They really jumped the gun, though, because the popes in Avignon and Rome did not agree to any of that. Instead, they stayed on as popes, and that’s how you get three popes or antipopes, depending on who you think is a real pope, and who’s a phony (false, counterfeit). This schism confusion stayed for another five years, with popes from Avignon, Rome, and now Pisa all struggling for control over the Catholic Church. Pope Alexander V was succeeded shortly thereafter by Baldassare Cossa, who took the name John XXIII.
Finally, in 1414, John XXIII, under pressure from the emperor Sigismund, convoked the Council of Constance, which removed him as Pope because then General Councils are more powerful than Popes. During the period of the Council, 1414-1417, things were different. The council was led by John XXIII in Pisa, and gained the support of Gregory XII in Rome. John XXIII and Gregory XII excommunicated Benedict XIII, totally removing Avignon from the board. Then, John and Gregory both resigned, wiping the slate clean. Only the council was left, and it elected one final pope, Pope Martin V in November 1417, who reigned from 1417-1431. The schism was over in 1417.
The extraordinary year of three popes in 1978
*Note*
The account of Great Schism which produced three Popes in 1409 AD is different from the dramatic year that saw three different popes over three months - Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. The sequence of extraordinary events started with the death of Pope Paul VI on 6 August 1978, then John Paul I who reigned for just 35 days (John Paul I, Albino Luciani, of Forno di Canale, Belluno; elected (aged 65) 26 August 1978-29 September 1978).
© Rev Utazi Prince Marie Benignus SFDPM
May 19 2020
*Key Terms*
Avignon Papacy: The period from 1309 to 1377, during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon, France, rather than in Rome.
Antipope: A person who, in opposition to the one who is generally seen as the legitimately elected pope, makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the pope.
The Western Schism, or Papal Schism, was a split within the Roman Catholic Church that lasted from 1378 to 1417. During that time, three men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance (1414–1418). For a time these rival claims to the papal throne damaged the reputation of the office.
*The Story*
Western Schism, also called Great Schism or Great Western Schism, in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the period from 1378 to 1417, is when there were two, and later three, rival popes, each with his own Sacred College of Cardinals, and his own administrative offices. Shortly after the return of the papal residence to Rome following almost 70 years of the Avignon papacy, the archbishop of Bari was elected pope as Urban VI amid demands by the Roman populace for “a Roman or at least an Italian.” From 1309 to 1376, the seat of the papacy resided in Avignon, France, rather than Rome. It was called Avignon Papacy. During this period, a lot of Catholics, particularly in Italy, and particularly in Rome, were sick of having French Popes as the papacy was in Avignon from 1309-1376. During the Avignon Papacy, there was a string of seven French popes based in France. It looked like the French crown owned the Catholic Church. Pope Gregory XI, the last of the popes in Avignon papacy moved the papal court back to Rome in 1376. He later felt the pressure. Two years later, that is, in 1378, Gregory XI died, and it was time to vote in a new pope. Note that from 1378 to 1417, the Catholic Church in Western Europe was split three times, each with its own Pope. The people of Rome, worried that they would get yet another French pope, exercised their own political power by rioting in the streets and intimidating the cardinals. The cardinals were not in a rush to get to heaven, so they accepted and elected an Italian pope. On April 8, 1378 the cardinals elected a Neapolitan when no viable Roman candidates presented themselves. Urban VI, whose real names are Bartolomeo Prignano, the Archbishop of Bari, was elected, as Pope. Urban had been a respected administrator in the papal chancery at Avignon, but as pope he proved suspicious, reformist, and prone to violent outbursts of temper. He was also coronated same period. Popes were coronated (that is, crowned as Kings) in those days, but was stopped recently.
Pope Urban VI turned out to hate the Cardinals, possibly because the majority of the Cardinals at the time were French. Remember that Pope Urban VI had jumped from archbishop (just beneath cardinal) to pope (just above cardinal). As the mobs of Rome previously established, the cardinals were not fond of violence aimed at cardinals. Due to the violent temper of Pope Urban VI and his attitudes towards the Cardinals, many of the cardinals who had elected him soon regretted their decision. So, they huddled back up and decided that the last papal election, in which they elected Pope Urban VI hardly counted, with all the threats of violence directed at the goodly cardinals. A new and less threatening electoral process was needed to amend the terrible mistake made by electing Urban VI. This likely did not improve Urban VI’s attitude toward cardinals. It probably didn’t make the Roman mobs happy, either, because the cardinals (who, remember, were mostly French) elected an even newer, French Pope, Robert of Geneva, as Clement VII in Anagni on September 20 1378. Pope Clement VII became a rival pope. The second election threw the church into turmoil, and it quickly escalated from a church problem to a diplomatic crisis that divided Europe. Europe split, with various crowns and kingdoms picking their favorite pope. Some liked the Avignon pope, others liked the Roman pope. The followers of the two popes were divided chiefly along national lines, and thus the dual papacy fostered the political antagonisms of the time.
Pope Clement VII, a French Pope (he was indeed from France), took his seat back in Avignon (France), at the Palais des Papes, right back where this whole thing started. *This is how the Catholic Church got two 14th-century popes.* Remember that the Infallibility of Pope has been pronounced before then, even some years back (Papal infallibility was developed in 519 AD during the time of Pope Hormosdas, and defined dogmatically under Pope Pius IX during Vatican Council I). It means there are two legitimate Popes who are Infallible. In a stroke of potentially divine intervention, the Church’s Pope Problem was nearly solved when both popes eventually died. Alas, letting a conflict simple disappear into the air is not the human way, so the cardinals on each side kept the conflict alive, electing replacements for their dead popes. *At this point, both Popes Clement VII and Urban VI have died, but their supporting Cardinals will elect new Popes.* Pope Boniface IX (Pietro Tomacelli, of Naples; 2 Nov 1389-1 Oct 1404) succeeded Urban VI, Pope Innocent VII (Cosimo de' Migliorati, of Sulmona; 17 Oct 1404-6 Nov 1406) succeeded Boniface IX, Pope Gregory XII (Angelo Correr, of Venice; 30 Nov 1406-abdicated 4 June 1415-died at Recanati 17 Oct 1417) succeeded Pope Innocent VII on the Rome faction. These Popes are recognized in the catalogue of Roman Catholic Popes as genuine Popes, while the other ones are recorded as Anti-Popes. Pope Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna, of Aragon; 28 Sept 1394-23 May 1423) was elected on the side of the Avignon to succeed Pope Clement VII. Pope Clement VIII (Gil Sánchez Muñoz, of Barcelona; 10 June 1423-16 July 1429) succeeded Benedict XIII on the side of Avignon. Pope Benedict XIV (Bernard Garnier; 12 Nov 1425-1430 (?)) succeeded Clemet VIII. You can see that after the end of Schism at the Council of Constance, the Avignon papacy did not stop immediately, it took another 13 years or more.
The spectacle of rival popes denouncing each other produced great confusion and resulted in a tremendous loss of prestige for the papacy. Various proposals for ending the schism were made, especially by the University of Paris (France), which suggested either mutual resignation or a decision by an independent tribunal or a general council. This last proposal was in line with the growing Conciliar movement, according to which a general council has greater authority than a pope. Both lines of popes refused to submit. Eventually cardinals from both obedience, seeking to end the schism, arranged the Council of Pisa (Pisa is a Province in Central Italy), which met in 1409. The idea was to make a compromise: the Avignon and Rome popes would resign, and the council would elect a new pope. That way, neither side would be happy. They elected a third pope, Alexander V. *Now, there are three Popes reigning at a time, in the year 1409 until November 1417, and they are legitimate Popes, though factions call one another illegitimate.* The Cardinals really got the ball rolling by electing a new pope, Alexander V (who may later be referred to as an Anti-Pope). They really jumped the gun, though, because the popes in Avignon and Rome did not agree to any of that. Instead, they stayed on as popes, and that’s how you get three popes or antipopes, depending on who you think is a real pope, and who’s a phony (false, counterfeit). This schism confusion stayed for another five years, with popes from Avignon, Rome, and now Pisa all struggling for control over the Catholic Church. Pope Alexander V was succeeded shortly thereafter by Baldassare Cossa, who took the name John XXIII.
Finally, in 1414, John XXIII, under pressure from the emperor Sigismund, convoked the Council of Constance, which removed him as Pope because then General Councils are more powerful than Popes. During the period of the Council, 1414-1417, things were different. The council was led by John XXIII in Pisa, and gained the support of Gregory XII in Rome. John XXIII and Gregory XII excommunicated Benedict XIII, totally removing Avignon from the board. Then, John and Gregory both resigned, wiping the slate clean. Only the council was left, and it elected one final pope, Pope Martin V in November 1417, who reigned from 1417-1431. The schism was over in 1417.
The extraordinary year of three popes in 1978
*Note*
The account of Great Schism which produced three Popes in 1409 AD is different from the dramatic year that saw three different popes over three months - Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. The sequence of extraordinary events started with the death of Pope Paul VI on 6 August 1978, then John Paul I who reigned for just 35 days (John Paul I, Albino Luciani, of Forno di Canale, Belluno; elected (aged 65) 26 August 1978-29 September 1978).
© Rev Utazi Prince Marie Benignus SFDPM
May 19 2020
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