The  Council,  however,  gave  rise  to  the  subsequent  discus-
sions as  to  the  superiority  of  a  Council  to  the  Pope.  It
said,  " 1  This  holy  Synod  of  Constance,  being  lawfully
called  together  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  constituting  a  General
Council  and  representing  the  Catholic  Church,  has  its
power  immediately  from  Christ,  and  every  one,  of  whatever
state  or  dignity,  even  if  it  be  Papal,  is  bound  to  obey  it  in
what  appertains  to  the  Faith  and  to  the  extirpation  of  the
said  schism  and  the  reformation  of  the  said  Church  in  its
head  and  its  members/'  It  also  enacted,  "  that  if  any  one
of  any  condition,  state,  dignity  whatever,  even  if  Papal,
should  contumaciously  refuse  to  obey  the  precepts  of  this

1  Cone.  Const.  Sess.  v.
Canonists  against  Papal  Infallibility.  xix

sacred  Synod  or  any  other  General  Council  soever  lawfully
called,  he  should  be  subjected  to  condign  penitence  unless
he  repented,  and  should  be  duly  punished  even  by  recourse
to  other  aids  of  law  if  need  be."

The  discussion  as  to  the  relative  superiority  of  a  Council
or  a  Pope  lasted  long.  With  regard  to  individuals,  it  is
remarkable  that  those  who  held  the  Pope  to  be  superior
to  the  Synod  did  not  hold  his  infallibility.  I  will  give  the
summary  in  the  words  of  a  Roman  Catholic  writer  before
the  Council2:

"3Panormitan,  f4the  light  of  the  law/  his  master  Car-
dinal Zabarella,  Cardinal  Cusa,  Alphonsus  Tostato,  (5the
amazement  of  the  world/  nor  less  '  distinguished  for  holi-
ness/ his  countryman  Alphonsus  de  Castro,  and  Pope
Adrian  VI.  (not  to  mention  many  other  great  names),
have  left  writings  hostile  to  the  view  of  papal  infallibility.
