Fourth Council of Constantinople (Roman Catholic)

The Fourth Council of Constantinople Opel means either the local synod of 869 /70 ( I. Ignatius ) or 879 /80 ( under Photios ).

869/70 was about the conflict between the Byzantine patriarch Photius I. and Pope Nicholas I.. The council, in which only very few bishops took part, excommunicated and banished Photios. It is counted by the Catholic Church as the eighth ecumenical council. The forward by Photios Two souls doctrine according to the people a higher, immortal spirit - soul and an earthly, mortal soul are intrinsically, was occupied by the anathema:

" While the Old and the New Testament teach that man has only one capable of thinking and rational soul ( unam animam rationabilem et intellectualem ) and all theistic learned Fathers and Doctors of the Church just reaffirm this opinion, are some detail on the inventions of evil to sunk such outrageousness, brazenly carry forward the proposition that he had two souls ( duas eum habere animas ); continue trying in some unreasonable efforts with scholarship, which has proven to be foolish to reaffirm their own heresy. Therefore, hurry this holy and universal synod, this worthless opinion that there germinate want as the worst weed, pluck, and by wearing the winnowing fork of truth in the hand and the whole chaff passed an unquenchable fire and make the threshing floor of Christ purely wants she cursed the author and representatives of this wickedness and those who accept similar in these things, with a loud voice. It determines and announces that henceforth no one in any way have the principles of the author of this wickedness and should keep. But if anyone should presume to act contrary to this holy and great synod, let him be cursed and excluded from the faith and worship of the Christians. "

In the year 879/80 there was another council in Constantinople Opel, in which Photius was again fully rehabilitated - with the approval of Pope John VIII to this council there was also a compromise with respect to the papal jurisdiction Primates: The jurisdiction of the Pope was completed for the West recognized for the East an honorary primacy of the Bishop of Rome, but without jurisdiction over other patriarchates. This council also spoke out for the immutability of the Creed and thus against the infliction of the phrase Filioque.

The 879er council is counted by some representatives of the Byzantine Orthodox Church as the eighth ecumenical council. From the Catholic Church it was accepted for 200 years, since Gregory VII but it is recognized mainly because of the Filioque question, not as a general council. The Declaration of Bari (1987 ) of the Joint Commission for Dialogue between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church calls it now "but that 879/80 jointly celebrated by the two churches council ." The Declaration of Valamo (1988 ) of the same Commission calls it the " council of the Hagia Sophia ( 879/880 ) " and counts his canon 1 to the canons, " which were adopted in total the Churches of the East and the West"

Both councils have the dogmas of the Second Council of Nicaea fully accepted and this counted as the seventh ecumenical council.