| Second Council of Lyon | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1272–1274 |
| Accepted by | Catholic Church |
Previous council | First Council of Lyon |
Next council | Council of Vienne |
| Convoked by | Pope Gregory X |
| President | Pope Gregory X |
| Attendance | 560 (bishops and abbots) |
| Topics | Conquest of theHoly Land,East–West Schism,filioque,papal conclaves |
Documents and statements | Approval ofDominicans andFranciscans, apparent resolution of theEast–West Schism,tithe for thecrusade, internal reforms |
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TheSecond Council of Lyon was the fourteenthecumenical council of theRoman Catholic Church,convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened inLyon,Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274.[1]Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge byByzantine emperorMichael VIII to reunite theEastern church with the West.[2] The council was attended by about 300bishops, 60abbots[3][better source needed] and more than a thousandprelates or theirprocurators, among whom were the representatives of the universities. Due to the great number of attendees, those who had come to Lyon without being specifically summoned were given "leave to depart with the blessing of God" and of thePope. Among others who attended the council wereJames I of Aragon, the ambassador of the EmperorMichael VIII Palaiologos with members of the Greek clergy and the ambassadors ofAbaqa Khan of theIlkhanate.Thomas Aquinas had been summoned to the council, but died en route atFossanova Abbey.Bonaventure was present at the first four sessions but died at Lyon on 15 July 1274. As at theFirst Council of Lyon,Thomas Cantilupe was an English attendee and apapal chaplain.[4]
In addition toAragon, which James represented in person, representatives of the kings ofGermany,England,Scotland,France, the Spains andSicily[5] were present, with procurators also representing the kingdoms ofNorway,Sweden,Hungary,Bohemia,Poland, and the "realm of Dacia". In the procedures to be observed in the council, for the first time thenations appeared as represented elements in an ecclesiastical council, as they had already become represented in the governing ofmedieval universities. This innovation marks a stepping-stone towards the acknowledgment of coherent ideas of nationhood, which were in the process of creating the Europeannation-states.
The main topics discussed at the council were the conquest of theHoly Land and the union of the Eastern and Western Churches. The first session took place on 7 May 1274 and was followed by five additional sessions on 18 May 1274, 4 or 7 June 1274, 6 July 1274, 16 July 1274, and 17 July 1274. By the end of the council, 31 constitutions were promulgated. In the second session, the fathers approved the decreeZelus fidei, which contained no juridical statutes but rather summed up constitutions about the perils of theHoly Land, the means for paying for a proposedcrusade, theexcommunication of pirates and corsairs and those who protected them or traded with them, a declaration of peace among Christians, a grant of anindulgence for those willing to go on crusade, restoration ofcommunion with the Greeks, and the definition of the order and procedure to be observed in the council. The Greeks conceded on the issue of theFilioque (two words added to theNicene Creed), and union was proclaimed, but the union was later repudiated byAndronicus II,[2] heir to Michael VIII. The council also recognizedRudolf I asHoly Roman Emperor, ending theinterregnum.[2]
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Wishing to end theGreat Schism that divided theCatholic Church fromEastern Orthodoxy, Pope Gregory X sent an embassy toMichael VIII, who had reconquered Constantinople, putting an end to the remnants of theLatin Empire in the East, and he asked Latin despots in the East to curb their ambitions. Eastern dignitaries arrived at Lyon on 24 June 1274 presenting a letter from the Emperor.[6] On 29 June 1274 (the Feast of Peter and Paul, patronal feast of the popes), Gregory celebratedMass inSt John's Church where both sides took part.[7] The Greeks read theNicene Creed, with the Western addition of theFilioque clause sung three times. The council was seemingly a success, but did not provide a lasting solution to the schism; the Emperor was anxious to heal the schism, but the Eastern clergy opposed the decisions of the council.Patriarch Joseph of Constantinople abdicated, and was replaced byJohn Bekkos, a convert to the cause of union. In spite of a sustained campaign by Bekkos to defend the union intellectually, and vigorous and brutal repression of opponents by Michael, the vast majority of Byzantine Christians remained implacably opposed to union with the Latin "heretics". Michael's death in December 1282 put an end to the union of Lyons. His son and successorAndronicus II repudiated the union in theCouncil of Blachernae (1285), and Bekkos was forced to abdicate, being eventually exiled and imprisoned under house arrest until his death in 1297.
The council drew up plans for a crusade (passagium generale) to recover the Holy Land, which was to be financed by atithe imposed for six years on all thebenefices of Christendom. The plans were approved but nothing concrete was done.[8] James I of Aragon wished to organize the expedition at once, but this was opposed by theKnights Templar.[9] The Franciscan friarFidentius of Padua, who had experience in the Holy Land, was commissioned by the pope to write a report on therecovery of the Holy Land.[10]
Ambassadors of the Khan of the Tatars negotiated with the Pope, who asked them to leave Christians in peace during their war againstIslam.[9] TheMongol leaderAbaqa Khan sent a delegation of 13[11]-16 Mongols to the council, which created a great stir, particularly when their leader underwent a publicbaptism. Among the embassy wereDavid of Ashby, and the clerkRychaldus.[12] According to one chronicler, "The Mongols came, not because of the Faith, but to conclude an alliance with the Christians".[13]
Abaqa's Latin secretary Rychaldus delivered a report to the council, which outlined previous European-Ilkhanid relations under Abaqa's father,Hulagu, where after welcoming the Christian ambassadors to his court, Hulagu had agreed to exempt Latin Christians from taxes and charges, in exchange for their prayers for theQaghan. According to Richardus, Hulagu had also prohibited the molestation of Frank establishments, and had committed to returnJerusalem to the Franks.[14] Richardus told the assembly that even after Hulagu's death, Abaqa was still determined to drive the Mamluks from Syria.[15]
At the council, Pope Gregory promulgated a new Crusade to start in 1278 in liaison with the Mongols.[16] The Pope put in place a vast program to launch the Crusade, which was written down in his "Constitutions for the zeal of the faith". This text puts forward four main decisions to accomplish the Crusade: the imposition of a new tax during three years, the interdiction of any kind of trade with theSaracens, the supply of ships by the Italian maritime Republics, and the alliance of the West with Byzantium and the Il-Khan Abagha.[17] However, despite papal plans, there was little support from European monarchs, who at this point were more likely to give lip service to the idea of a Crusade than to commit actual troops. The Pope's death in 1276 put an end to any such plans, and the money that had been gathered was instead distributed in Italy.
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The council dealt with the reform of the Church, regarding which Gregory had sent out inquiries. Several bishops and abbots were deposed for unworthiness, and somemendicant orders were suppressed. On the other hand, the two new orders ofDominicans andFranciscans were approved.
There had been several lengthy vacancies of theHoly See, most recently thesede vacante that had lasted from the death ofClement IV, 29 November 1268, until Gregory's election, 1 September 1271. The council decided that in future thecardinals should not leave theconclave until they had elected a pope. This decision was suspended in 1276 byPope Adrian V, and then revoked byPope John XXI. It has since been re-established, and is the basis of present legislation on papal elections.
Finally, the council dealt with the Imperial throne, which Alfonso X of Castile claimed. His claim was disallowed by the Pope, andRudolph I was proclaimed King of the Romans and future emperor on 6 June 1274.
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