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The Medieval Church · 6 April 1415

Haec Sancta Synodus

The Council of Constance

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What it is

A decree declaring that a general council holds authority immediately from Christ, and that everyone including the pope must obey it in matters of faith, schism, and reform.

Why it lasted

The high-water mark of conciliarism. It ended the schism, and its status has been argued over ever since — accepted as the price of unity, then quietly set aside.

Where to read it

Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.

These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.

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