The Avignon Papacy, the Western Schism, Antipopes, and Doctrinal Consistency in the Catholic Church
An Academic Analysis with Personal Commentary
Introduction: Why This Intervention Matters Now
This study is written in response to a growing stream of anti-Catholic content circulating on YouTube, particularly from creators such as Redeemed Zoomer and similar channels whose material often reaches tens of thousands of viewers. These content creators frequently assert that the Avignon Papacy, the Western Schism, the rise of antipopes, and the decrees of the Council of Constance contradict Catholic doctrine, especially the dogmas of papal primacy and papal infallibility. Their arguments, often presented with confidence, circulate widely among Christian audiences who may lack exposure to the historiography of medieval ecclesiology.
As a practicing Catholic, I believe these claims should be addressed with academic precision, historical fairness, and theological clarity. While I write as someone who believes the Church’s claims, I also aim to present the record accurately. The issues raised are worthy of serious analysis and should not be reduced to online polemics.
I. The Avignon Papacy: Historical Context and Ecclesiological Implications
A. Historical Overview
The Avignon Papacy (1309–1377) refers to the period during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon rather than Rome.1 Modern historians widely interpret this era as one characterized by heavy French influence and increasing centralization of papal administration. While politically damaging, this period produced no doctrinal rupture.
B. Doctrinal Implications
Catholic ecclesiology teaches that the authority of the papacy is derived from the office, not from geography or political freedom. The residence of the pope in Avignon does not imply a break in apostolic succession or magisterial authority. The historical problems of the era therefore do not entail theological contradiction.
II. The Western Schism: Crisis of Recognition, Not of Doctrine
A. The Emergence of Rival Claimants
The Western Schism (1378–1417) began with a contested papal election following the death of Gregory XI. Urban VI was elected in Rome, but a faction of cardinals, citing coercion, elected Clement VII in Avignon. Later, the Council of Pisa (1409) elected a third claimant. Thus, rival obediences emerged across Europe.2
B. Theological Clarification
The Schism constituted a crisis of legitimacy, not of doctrine. Catholic doctrine on papal infallibility concerns ex cathedra definitions on matters of faith and morals. None of the rival claimants attempted such definitions during this period.3
The existence of multiple claimants therefore does not undermine papal infallibility because infallibility is tied to the true pope, not to public certainty about his identity.
C. Antipopes: Definition and Relevance
An antipope is a person who claims the papacy without valid election or acceptance by the Church.4 Their existence presents no doctrinal challenge because Catholic teaching does not assert the impossibility of disputed elections or human political interference.
III. The Council of Constance: Conciliarism, Unity, and Doctrinal Status
A. Resolution of the Schism
The Council of Constance (1414–1418) is universally recognized as having ended the Schism by securing resignations or depositions of rival claimants and electing Martin V.5 The Church affirms the legitimacy of this restorative act.
B. Haec Sancta and the Conciliarist Thesis
The decree Haec Sancta (1415) asserted that a general council derives its authority directly from Christ and that all—including the pope—are bound to obey it.6 Critics often cite this as contradicting later Catholic teaching on papal primacy.
However:
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Haec Sancta was issued before a universally recognized pope confirmed the council.
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It was never ratified as binding dogma.
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Later councils and the magisterium did not adopt conciliar supremacy as doctrine.
Conciliarism functioned as an emergency theory during a crisis, not as an authoritative ecclesiological model.
IV. Vatican I and Alleged Contradiction with Constance
A. Vatican I’s Definition
Vatican I’s Pastor Aeternus (1870) defined papal infallibility and universal jurisdiction.7
B. Are Constance and Vatican I Contradictory?
From a doctrinal standpoint, no contradiction exists:
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Constance never issued a dogmatic statement binding on the universal Church regarding conciliar supremacy.
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Vatican I clarified the perennial teaching on papal primacy.
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The Church distinguishes between disciplinary measures taken during crises and solemn doctrinal definitions.
Thus, Vatican I does not overturn a dogma of Constance, because Constance did not dogmatically define conciliar supremacy in the first place.
V. Do These Events Undermine Papal Infallibility?
Catholic doctrine does not claim that:
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papal elections will always be clear
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cardinals will always choose wisely
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popes will always act virtuously
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the Church will never face institutional crises
Infallibility concerns only the protection of the Church from teaching doctrinal error, not the day-to-day governance or political clarity of ecclesiastical offices.
During the Western Schism:
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no false doctrine was promulgated
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no ex cathedra definitions were issued
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apostolic succession was maintained through the eventual recognition of Martin V
Therefore, no contradiction arises between the doctrine of papal infallibility and the historical events of the period.
VI. Personal Reflection
While this article is academic in structure, my motives are personal. Anti-Catholic online voices often present a simplified narrative: that the existence of antipopes or the confusion of the Schism disproves the papacy. But the real history is more complex and, in my view, more impressive. The Church endured one of the gravest political crises in its history without compromising doctrine. That fact strengthens my belief that Christ protects His Church in essential matters.
A merely human institution would have fractured beyond repair. The Church did not.
Conclusion
The Avignon Papacy and the Western Schism represent genuine historical failures in governance, but they do not constitute theological contradictions within Catholic doctrine. The existence of antipopes points to human weakness, not doctrinal instability. The Council of Constance resolved a crisis but did not define conciliar supremacy as dogma. Vatican I clarified, rather than contradicted, the Church’s teaching on the papacy.
These events are complex, but their academic study confirms a consistent principle: Catholic teaching distinguishes between the human administration of the Church and the divine protection of its doctrine. The former can falter; the latter does not.
Footnotes
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<a name="fn1"></a> “Avignon Papacy,” Encyclopaedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/event/Avignon-papacy
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<a name="fn2"></a> “Western Schism,” Catholic Encyclopedia: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15595a.htm
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<a name="fn3"></a> Code of Canon Law on conditions for infallibility, citing Vatican I: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2A.HTM
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<a name="fn4"></a> List and definition of antipopes: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01582a.htm
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<a name="fn5"></a> “Council of Constance,” Catholic Encyclopedia: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04288a.htm
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<a name="fn6"></a> Text excerpt of Haec Sancta: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/constance.asp
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<a name="fn7"></a> Pastor Aeternus (Vatican I): https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/vatican-i-constitution-on-the-church-of-christ-4839
Bibliography
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Bellitto, Christopher M. The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II. Paulist Press, 2002.
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Brooke, Rosalind B. The Church and the Papacy in the Middle Ages. Routledge, 2017.
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Chadwick, Owen. The Popes and European Revolution. Oxford University Press, 1981.
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Duffy, Eamon. Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes. Yale University Press, 2015.
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Kelly, J.N.D. The Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford University Press, 2010.
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Oakley, Francis. The Conciliarist Tradition: Constitutionalism in the Catholic Church 1300–1870. Oxford University Press, 2003.
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Ullmann, Walter. The Origins of the Great Schism. Archon Books, 1972.
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Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus. 1870.
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“Western Schism.” Catholic Encyclopedia.
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“Avignon Papacy.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
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