26.06.2013 Views

The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

184 HISTORY OF THE POPES.<br />

in <strong>the</strong> direction <strong>of</strong> a more speedy convocation <strong>of</strong> a General<br />

Council <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Church, being moved to this course by <strong>the</strong><br />

disclosures which were made to him concerning <strong>the</strong> grave<br />

complications which had arisen in conditions in France.<br />

<strong>The</strong> decision <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> French Council <strong>of</strong> State to convene a<br />

kind <strong>of</strong> national council <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gallican Church<br />

on December loth, was reported to <strong>the</strong> Pope by Antonio<br />

Vacca. This decision was calculated to cause <strong>the</strong> greatest<br />

displeasure in Rome. <strong>The</strong> Popes had at all times, and with<br />

justice, considered a national council as quite inadequate for<br />

<strong>the</strong> removal <strong>of</strong> dogmatic disputes, and as being full <strong>of</strong> danger,<br />

on account <strong>of</strong> ths risk <strong>of</strong> schism. Pius IV. feared that,<br />

in view <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ferment <strong>the</strong>n going on -in France, and <strong>the</strong><br />

leanings towards a national Church which prevailed <strong>the</strong>re,<br />

such an assembly might lead to <strong>the</strong> falling away <strong>of</strong> that<br />

country <strong>from</strong> its obedience to <strong>the</strong> Holy See ; besides this,<br />

<strong>the</strong>re was <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> assembling <strong>of</strong> a General Council<br />

would <strong>the</strong>reby be rendered much more difficult. <strong>The</strong> Bishop<br />

<strong>of</strong> Viterbo, Sebastiano Gualterio, who was sent to France<br />

in <strong>the</strong> <strong>middle</strong> <strong>of</strong> May as <strong>the</strong> new nuncio, and who had pre-<br />

viously filled that <strong>of</strong>fice in <strong>the</strong> latter days <strong>of</strong> Juhus III.,<br />

received strict instructions to prevent <strong>the</strong> assembly <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

French clergy, and to declare that <strong>the</strong> Pope wished for a<br />

General Council.^<br />

How very much <strong>the</strong> Pope was alarmed at <strong>the</strong> danger<br />

threatening in France, and how it forced him to act in a<br />

decisive manner with regard to <strong>the</strong> Council without waiting<br />

any longer for <strong>the</strong> opinion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> powers, is clear <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

reports <strong>of</strong> Mula, <strong>the</strong> Venetian ambassador in Rome. <strong>The</strong><br />

Pope declared to him in <strong>the</strong> most definite terms on May<br />

27th, that he was resolved to prevent <strong>the</strong> French national<br />

council by convoking a Genera' Council, and that he intended<br />

Vatican Library) mentions <strong>the</strong> congregation <strong>of</strong> 12 Cardinals<br />

which deliberated about <strong>the</strong> Council, after <strong>the</strong> ceremony <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

obedientia.<br />

^ See Ehses, Berufung des Konzils, 4 seq. Cf. <strong>the</strong> *letter <strong>of</strong><br />

Mula <strong>of</strong> May 25, 1560 (Court library, Vienna), and Ehses, VIII.,<br />

20 seq^

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!