The Council of Pisa met in 1409 to end the Western Schism — the long crisis in which Rome and Avignon each claimed to be the rightful pope. How many popes did Europe have after the council finished?
Pisa elected Alexander V (and after his rapid death, John XXIII), neither Roman nor Avignonese. Neither Gregory XII (Rome) nor Benedict XIII (Avignon) accepted being deposed. The result: three simultaneous popes for five years. The Council of Constance (1414–1418) finally resolved it by deposing John XXIII, deposing Benedict XIII, accepting Gregory XII's voluntary abdication, and electing Martin V. The Pisan line is now considered non-ecumenical, which is why a 20th-century pope could take the regnal name John XXIII again.
Read the full story →The Council of Pisa met from March to August 1409 to resolve the thirty-year-old Western Schism. It deposed both the Roman and the Avignon claimants and elected a new pope, Alexander V. Neither of the previous popes accepted the deposition. The result was three simultaneous popes instead of two.
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