Second Council of Lyon

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2nd Council of Lyons
May 7th - July 17th 1274
Accepted by

Roman Catholic Church

Convened by Pope Gregory X.
Bureau

Pope Gregory X.

Attendees about 300 bishops , 60 abbots , numerous other churchmen and theologians
subjects

Creed ( Filioque ), union with the Greeks, crusades , rules for the election of the Pope

Documents

Constitution on the Supreme Trinity and the Catholic Faith

The Second Council of Lyons , which took place in Lyons in 1274 under the direction of Pope Gregory X , decided on three important questions: the possibility of ending the Eastern schism through a union with the Eastern Churches , a crusade and the reform of the Church.

history

Gregory called the congregation on March 31, 1272 and in March 1273 asked all Christians for their opinion and help regarding the reform of the Church. After a long period of preparation, the assembly was finally opened on May 7, 1274. About 300 bishops, 60 abbots and a number of other churchmen and theologians attended the meeting. Commissioned by the Pope, Bonaventure , who had been ordained bishop for this purpose , took over the preparation of the council. There were also James I, King of Aragon , and delegates from France, Germany, England and Sicily and a delegation of the Tatars . The Greeks didn't arrive until June 24th after being shipwrecked. This meant that representatives from all of Christianity were present and the assembly could, as Gregory had wished, be considered universal and ecumenical. Thomas Aquinas died on arrival.

The meeting, which lasted six sessions, decided in the fourth session on July 6th that the unity between the Western and Eastern Churches should be restored, but was only successful in the short term. The unification seems to have been forced on the Greek side by Emperor Michael VIII (cf. Creed of Michael Paleologus ), who wanted the Pope's support against Karl von Anjou's attack on the Byzantine Empire . However, the majority of the Greek clergy continued to oppose the Union. It is also questionable to what extent the agreement was supported by Gregory's successors. The orthodox rejection of Western purgatory , originally coined by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century , was one of the reasons for the ultimate failure of the attempted reunification of the churches at the Second Council of Lyon. Orthodoxy knows prayer for the souls of the deceased, but no official explanation for its effectiveness.

In addition, the council spoke out in favor of a conclave of cardinals in the papal election in order to prevent the three-year vacancy in the papal office from being repeated from 1268 to 1271, when an agreement between the cardinals on a candidate had repeatedly failed. Each cardinal should be allowed to have one (in exceptional cases two) servant with him, all of them should live together in one room (without curtains) and should not have any verbal or written contact with the outside world. After three days, meals should be limited to one per day, after eight days to bread, water and wine.

It was also possible to agree on another crusade ; a new crusade tax was approved for six years; however, the project ultimately remained unrealized.

literature

  • Burkhard Roberg: The Second Council of Lyon. (1274). Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 1990, ISBN 3-506-74689-8 .
  • Augustin Theiner : The two general councils of Lyon 1245 and Constance 1414 on the secular rule of the Holy See. With historical documents not yet published . Herder, Freiburg (Breisgau) 1862, digitized .
  • Klaus Schatz: General Councils - Focal Points in Church History (= UTB 1976 Theology ). 2nd Edition. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2008, ISBN 978-3-506-99492-9 , pp. 114-118.

Web links