You know, Mickey, reading your last posts I start to relish Nietzche a little, at least as a proponent of perspective.
First Basel:
Council of Basel (1431–49) A controversial Council …intended to continue …the Council of Constance, against heresy, and initiating reform, but fell into dispute with Pope Eugene IV for asserting the authority of the Council over that of the pope. When the pope attempted to dissolve it, the Council appointed Felix V (Amadeus VIII), the last of the antipopes.
Mickey, are you aware of the attendance at the Council of Basel? There was just one delegate on opening day; three came 3 weeks later; and 2 more, before these six issued the Council’s first document! Then attendance swelled! ‘‘Though there were not a dozen members present, the assembly immediately arrogated itself the title of a general council, and began to act as if its authority were secured.’’
In a unique administrative change: Cardinals, bishops, priests and laymen each had one vote! How egalitarian!
The published purpose of the Council was to reform abuses such as Papal taxes, simony, and “concubinage among the clergy”. Sounds valid to me!
I find the following Basel facts to be more
supportive of Papal supremacy than detrimental to it.
Basel
Emperor Sigismund, fearing the “growing power of the Turks”, attended and reported to Pope Eugene IV that “that very few prelates had attended, that there was little hope of an increased number owing to the war between Burgundy and Austria and the general unsafety of the roads, and that even the city of Basle itself was in danger and its people unfriendly to the clergy. On the receipt of this news Eugene issued (12 November) a commission to Cæsarini, signed by twelve cardinals, empowering him to dissolve the council, if he should deem it advisable, and to convoke another to meet at Bologna eighteen months after the dissolution.”
“Meanwhile the assembly at Basle had entered into communication with the Hussites… This was understood at Rome as indicating a desire to reopen for discussion questions of doctrine already settled at Constance and at Sienna, and as a result Eugene IV issued (18 December) a Bull dissolving the council and convoking another to meet at Bologna.”
Basel. at peak, seemed to have only “three bishops, fourteen abbots, and a considerable body of doctors and priests.”
The “second public session was held (15 February, 1432) …declaring that a general council had its authority directly from Christ and that all, even the pope, are bound to obey it.”
“In the fourth public session (20 June, 1432) it was decreed that in case the papal throne should become vacant during the time of the council, the conclave could be held only at its place of session; that in the meantime Eugene IV should appoint no cardinals except at the council, nor should he hinder any person from attending, and that all censures pronounced against it by him were null and void.”
They set up four committees each equally represented by the four nationalities and there was to be no general session until the four reached agreement among representatives.
“(A)t the tenth public session (19 February, 1433) this threat was enforced, and in the presence of five cardinals and forty-six bishops the pope [ed: and the 12 cardinals who signed the Bull.] was declared contumacious and canonical proceedings were instituted against him.”
The Pope tried to cooperate if the Council were to moderate but when they would not, he issued the ‘Bull “Doctoris gentium” (18 September), in which it was stated that unless the delegates abandoned their methods and confined themselves for a limited number of days only to the Bohemian affair the council would be transferred to Ferrara.’
“All the cardinals except d’Allemand and …most of the bishops…left Basle and joined the pope at Ferrara.”
“Most of the Christian world stood loyal to the pope and to the Council of Ferrara. England, Castile and Aragon, Milan, and Bavaria disavowed the assembly at Basle, while, on the other hand, France and Germany, though recognizing Eugene IV, endeavoured to maintain a neutral position. In a meeting of the French Clergy at Bourges (May, 1438), at which were present delegates from the pope and from Basle, it was determined to remain loyal to Eugene, while at the same time many of the reforms of Basle were accepted.[ed: the twenty-three articles of the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges]”
“after the election of Albrecht II …, in Mainz (March, 1439), (Germany) followed the example of France and declared for Eugene IV as lawful pope while they accepted many of the reforms of Basle.”
Then at “Basle itself it was resolved to depose the pope and in order to prepare the way for deposition three articles were drawn up, namely:
“that a general council is superior to a pope;
“that the pope cannot prorogue, or dissolve such an assembly;
“that whoever denies these is a heretic.
“Cardinal d’Allemand was the leading spirit in this undertaking. Against the wishes of the bishops and most of the ambassadors present, these decrees were passed (16 may, 1439), and Eugene IV was deposed as a heretic and schismatic (25 June). Immediately steps were taken to elect his successor. “
This Council’s last action had the impressive quorum of: “Cardinal Louis d’Allemand, eleven bishops, five theologians, and nine jurists and canonists”.
Contuned with 1870