Conciliarist

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈsɪlɪəɹɪst/

Definitions

1. A supporter of a movement advocating for the authority of ecumenical councils over the papacy in the governance of the Church is identified as this term's meaning
2. This term describes an individual who promotes the idea that church councils hold greater power than the pope during ecclesiastical governance
3. Someone who endorses the principle that church assemblies should manage spiritual matters rather than the singular authority of the pope is referred to by this term

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: "conciliar," meaning of or relating to a church council, with the suffix "-ist" added to name a supporter of such councils. The base adjective comes from "concilium," the Latin word for an assembly or council, which is also the source of "council" itself. The historical interest lies in what the term names. Conciliarists were church thinkers who held that a general council of the Church held authority above the pope, a position that became especially prominent during the Western Schism (roughly 1378 to 1417), when rival claimants to the papacy made it unclear who the true pope was. Supporters of the view argued that a council representing the whole Church could depose popes and restore unity, and the movement shaped debates at the Councils of Constance and Basel.