Haec sancta

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The decree Haec sancta synodus ("This holy synod") was promulgated by the Fifth Session of the Council of Constance on April 6, 1415. It contains a section on the question of whether the Pope is above an ecumenical council or, conversely, such a council is above the Pope. [1] The question is related to papal primacy, papal supremacy and conciliarism.

Contents

The decree played an essential role in shaping conciliarism. [2]

Excerpt on supremacy of an ecumenical council

The section concerning the supremacy of a council over the pope and any clergy member reads: [3]

Official textEnglish Translation
Et primo (declarat), quod ipsa in spiritu sancto legitime congregata concilium generale faciens, et ecclesiam catholicam militantem repraesentans, potestatem a Christo immediate habet, cui quilibet cuiuscumque status vel dignitatis, etiam si papalis existat, obedire tenetur in his quae pertinent ad fidem et extirpationem dicti schismatis, ac reformationem dictae ecclesiae in capite et in membris.This Synod, rightly assembled in the Holy Spirit, which is a general council and represents the warring Catholic Church, has its authority directly from Christ; to you, everyone, whatever their rank or whatever their dignity, even if it should be papal, is bound to obey what concerns the faith, the eradication of the schism in question and the general reform of the head and members of this Church of God.

Opinions on the decree

In theology, "[t]he range of interpretations [of Haec sancta] is large. It ranges from the qualification of the decree as a dogma via the so-called 'necessity theory', to the thesis of minimizing its theological content to that of a legal decree, not a doctrinal statement, which is mainly due to the way the language of the text is opened up". [2]

See also

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References

  1. Norman P. Tanner, S. J., Ed., Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Volume I, Sheed & Ward Limited, London, and Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC, 1990, pp. 409-410/*409-*410
  2. 1 2 "Konziliarismus". Theologische Realenzyklopädie. Vol. 19. Horst Robert Balz, Gerhard Krause, Gerhard Müller, Siegfried Schwertner. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. 1990. p. 582. ISBN   3-11-006944-X. OCLC   4190363.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Provvidente, Sebastián. "The meaning of the Haec Sancta: between theology, canon law and history. The lesson of the judicial practices" (PDF). University of Helsinki. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2020-10-13.

Further reading