Councils of Aquileia

In the history of Christianity and later of the Roman Catholic Church, there have been several Councils of Aquileia. The Roman city of Aquileia at the head of the Adriatic is the seat of an ancient episcopal see, seat of the Patriarch of Aquileia.

Council of 381 AD

The council was summoned by the Western Roman Emperor Gratian to address the Arian controversy. It was organized by Ambrose, and presided over by Valerian, Bishop of Aquileia. Thirty-two Western bishops attended.

The Arian Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, were defenders of the Arian position. The Arian position was anathematized by all the bishops other than Palladius, who disputed the legitimacy of the council due to the absence of Eastern bishops.

The council also asked the two Emperors to convene a general council of both East and West in order to put an end to the Meletian schism in Antioch.

Council of 553 AD

The council of 553 inaugurated the Schism of the Three Chapters, that for a century and more separated many churches of northern Italy from the Holy See; in it the Bishops of Venetia, Istria, and Liguria refused to accept the decrees of the Second Council of Constantinople (the 5th General Council, 553 AD), on the plea that by the condemnation of the Three Chapters it had undone the work of the Council of Chalcedon of 451. In Northern Italy the ecclesiastical provinces of Milan and Aquileia broke off communion with the papacy; the former yielding only towards the end of the 6th century, whereas Aquileia protracted its resistance to about 700.^[1]

Council of 579 AD

The council of 579, also known as the Synod of Grado was a meeting of bishops loyal to Aquileia that helped to prolong the schism of the Three Chapters.

Council of 698 AD

The council of 698 (also referred to as the Synod of Pavia), the bishops who were suffragans of Old-Aquileia decide to end the Schism of the Three Chapters and return to communion with Rome.

Council of 1184

The Council of 1184 was held against incendiaries and those guilty of sacrilege.

Council of 1409

In 1409 a council was held by Gregory XII against the pretensions of the rival popes, Benedict XIII (Peter de Luna) and Alexander V (Peter of Candia). He declared them schismatical, but promised to renounce the papacy if they would do the same.

Council of 1596

In 1596 Francesco Barbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia, held a council at which he renewed in nineteen decrees the legislation of the Council of Trent, including the replacement of the Aquileian Rite with the Tridentine Mass. This was part of a series of synods around the Patriarchate to standardise the Rite with Rome.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Councils of Aquileia". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.