Conciliarism

The conciliar movement (also Conciliar theory or Conciliar Movement) states that the decisions of the councils can claim supreme authority, under certain conditions, of a Pope must bend itself. As a condition for this was that a council be convened formally correct and the whole of Christendom had to represent.

The conciliar movement arose in the late Middle Ages and was due to the problem of the Great Western Schism. The via concilii proved to be the only way to unite the divided Christendom back under a pope. The Council of Constance laid for this purpose determines its own authority in the decree Haec sancta. Another decree Frequens wrote the regular convening of general councils before in the future.

Within the Catholic Church of the conciliar movement from the Council of Constance (1414-1418) and his successor in the Council of Basel (1431-1449) was represented, but again rejected by the 5th Lateran Council ( 1512-1517 ) in favor of papal primacy.

Important theologians of the medieval conciliarism were Conrad of Gelnhausen, Henry of Long Stone and Jean Gerson. Decisive influence on the konziliaristischen theory also had Quidort Jean ( John of Paris, OP, called Quidort * 1260 1306), Marsilius of Padua and William of Ockham.