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How Did The Western Schism Affect The Catholic Church

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The Western Schism:
And Its Impact on the Catholic Church

Jacob Stickney

Western Civilization II
Professor Jennifer Fast
November 14, 2016

The Catholic Church's response to the Western Schism was vastly important to its respectability and authority in regards to the faithful of that time. "The Western Schism was only a temporary misunderstanding, even though it compelled the Church for forty years to seek its true head; it was fed by politics and passions, and was terminated by the assembling of the councils of Pisa and Constance."1 After the Avignon Papacy, the Catholic Church had three men claiming to be pope. One man elected in Rome, one in Avignon, France, and one elected by the Council of Pisa. This was very detrimental to the Catholic theology which states that it can trace every pope back to St. Peter, the first pope. The Catholic faithful were not sure which of the three men was the true pope and which, if any of them, they should listen to. It was a very confusing time for all the faithful living in this time, and a very annoying situation for the true pope who was now seen by many to be as questionable as the other two in regards to not being the true pope. The three men knew what a mess this situation was and two of them wanted to deal with the situation, so as to reduce confusion among the faithful. The anti-pope John XXIII called the Council of Constance to deal with this situation. He offered to resign from the papacy, that he was never in possession of, if the other two men would as well. The council met to depose of the two anti-popes, to deal with heretical teachings, and to protect the succession of the papacy. This council is one of the most important ecumenical councils, as it helped to affirm the succession of the pope and to help to resolve the confusion caused by these anti-popes. The Council of Constance was called in 1414 by the Anti-Pope John XXIII. It was called to resolve the conflict regarding the papacy and to identify the true successor of St. Peter. Between November 1414 and June 1415, the council had a total of 13 sessions, dealing with the papacy and how the pope was chosen. The council, "enacted Haec Sancta (fifth session, 15 April 1415),

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