PISA
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PISA
of Ghent and Florence, by the Universities of Oxford
and Paris, and by the most renowned doctors of
the time, for example : Henry of Langensteiu
("Epistola pacis", 1379, "Epistola concihi pacis",
1381); Conrad of Gelnhausen ("Epistola Concor-
dia;", 1380); Gerson (Sermo coram Anghcis); and
especially the latter's master, Pierre d'Ailly, the emi-
nent Bishop of Cambrai, who wrote of himself: "A
principio schismatis materiam concilii generalis
primus . . . instanter prosequi non timui" (Apo-
logia Concilii Pisani, apud Tschackert). Encour-
aged by such men, by the known dispositions of
King Charles VI and of the University of Paris, four
members of the Sacred College of Avignon went to
Leghorn where they arranged an interview with those
of Rome, and where they were soon joined by others.
The two bodies thus united were resolved to seek
the union of the Church in spite of everything and
thenceforth to adhere to neither of the competitors.
On 2 and 5 July, 1408, they addre.ssed to the princes
and prelates an encyclical letter summoning them to a
general council at Pisa on 25 March, 1409. To oppose
this project Benedict convoked a council at Perpignan
while Gregory assembled another at Aquileia, but
these assemblies met with little success, hence to the
Council of Pisa were directed all the attention, un-
rest, and hopes of the Catholic world. The Univer-
sities of Paris, O.xford, and Cologne, many prelates,
and the most distinguished doctors, like d'Ailly and
Gerson, openly approved the action of the revolted
cardinals. The princes on the other hand were divided,
but most of them no longer relied on the good will of
the rival popes and were determined to act without
them, despite them, and, if needs were, against them.
Meeting of the Council. — On the feast of the Annun-
ciation, 4 patriarchs, 22 cardinals, and 80 bishops
assembled in the cathedral of Pisaunderthepresidency
of Cardinal de Malesset, Bishop of Palestrina. Among
the clergy were the representatives of 100 absent
bishops, 87 abbots with the proxies of those who could
not come to Pisa, 41 priors and generals of religious
orders, 300 doctors of theology or canon law. The
ambassadors of all the Christian kingdoms com-
pleted this august assembly. Judicial procedure
began at once. Two cardinal deacons, two bishops,
and two notaries gravely approached the church doors,
opened them, and in a loud voice, in the Latin tongue,
called upon the rival pontiffs to appear. No one re-
plied. "Has anyone been appointed to represent
them?" they added. Again there was silence. The
delegates returned to their places and requested that
Gregory and Benedict be declared guilty of contu-
macy. On three consecutive days this ceremony was
repeated without success, and throughout the month of
May testimonies were heard against the claimants,
but the formal declaration of contumacy did not take
place until the fourth session. In defence of Gregorj',
a German emba.ssy unfavourable to the project of the
assembled cardinals went to Pisa (15 April) at the
instance of Robert of Bavaria, King of the Romans.
John, Archbishop of Riga, brought before the council
several excellent objections, but in general the Ger-
man delegates spoke so blunderingly that they
aroused hostile manifestations and were compelled to
leave the city as fugitives. The line of conduct
adopted by Carlo Malatesta, Prince of Rimini, was
more clever. Robert by his awkward friendliness in-
jured Gregory's otherwise most defendable cau.se;
but Malatestadefended it as a man of letters, an orator,
a politician, and a knight, though he did not attain
the desired success. Benedict refused to attend the
council in person, but his delegates arrived very late
(14 June), and their claims aroused the protests and
laughter of the assembly. The people of Pisa over-
whelmed them with threats and insults. The Chancel-
lor of Aragon was listened to with little favour, while
the Archbishop of Tarragona made a declaration
XII.— 8
of war more daring than wise. Intimidated by
rough demonstrations, the ambassadors, among them
Boniface Ferrer, Prior of the Grande Chartreuse,
secretly left the city and returned to their master.
The pretended preponderance of the French dele- gates has been often attacked, but the French element did not prevail either in numbers, influence, or bold- ness of ideas. The most remarkable characteristic of the assembly was the unanimity which reigned among the 500 members during the month of June, especially noticeable at the fifteenth general session (5 June, 1409) . When the usual formality was completed with the request for a definite condemnation of Peter de Luna and Angelo Corrario, the Fathers of Pisa re- turned a sentence until then unexampled in the his- tory of the Church. All were stirred when the Patriarch of Alexandria, Simon de Cramaud, addressed the august meeting: "Benedict XIII and Gregory XII", said he, "are recognised as schismatics, the approvers and makers of schism, notorious heretics, guilty of perjury and violation of solenm promises, and openly scandalising 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 forbidden to them hence- forward 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." This grave sentence was greeted with joyful applause, the Te Deum was .sung, and a solemn procession was ordered next day, the feast of Corpus Christi. All the members appended their signatures to the decree of the council, and every one thought that the schism was ended forever. On 15 June the cardinals met in the archiepiscopal palace of Pisa to proceed with the election of a new pope. The con- clave lasted eleven days. Few obstacles intervened from outside to cause delay. Within the council, it is said, there were intrigues for the election of a French pope, but, through the influence of the energetic and ingenious Cardinal Cossa, on 26 June, 1409, the votes were unanimously cast in the favour of Cardinal Peter Philarghi, who took the name of Alexander V (q. v.). His election was expected and desired, as testified by universal joy. The new pope announced his election to all the sovereigns of Christendom, from whom he received ex-pressions of lively sympathy for himself and for the position of the Church. He presided over the last four sessions of the council, confirmed all the ordinances made by the cardinals after their refusal of obedience to the antipopes, united the two sacred colleges, and subsequently declared that he would work energetically for reform.
Jidigment of the Council of Pisa. — The right of the cardinals to convene a general council to put an end to the schism seemed to themselves indisputable. This was a consequence of the natural principle that demands for a large corporation the caiKicity of di.s- covering within itself a means of safety: Salu.^ popnli siiprema lex esto, i. e., the chief interest is the safety of the Church and the preservation of her indispen- sable unity. The tergiversations and perjuries of the two pretenders seemed to justify the united sacred colleges. "Never", said they, "shall we succeed in ending the schism while these two obstinate persons are at the head of the opposing parties. There is no undisputed pope who can summon a general council. As the pope is doubtful, the Holy See must be consid- ered vacant. We have therefore a lawful mandate to elect a pope who will be undisputed, and to con- voke the universal Church that her adhesion may strengthen our decision". Famous universities urged and upheld the cardinals in this conclusion. And yet, from the theological and judicial point of view, their reasoning might seem false, dangerous, and
