John XXII summary

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see John XXII.

John XXII, orig. Jacques Duèse, (born, Cahors, France—died Dec. 4, 1334, Avignon), Second Avignon pope (1316–34). The successor to Clement V, he established the papal court at Avignon on a permanent basis (see Avignon papacy). He condemned the Spiritual Franciscans’ interpretation of the poverty of Christ and his Apostles and upheld papal authority over imperial elections against the opposition of the emperor, Louis IV. When John excommunicated Louis, the emperor retaliated by declaring him deposed (1328) and sponsoring the election of an antipope. John’s views on the beatific vision provoked accusations of heresy (1331–32). He is remembered for centralizing church administration and adding to the body of canon law.

Roman Catholicism Summary

Roman Catholicism, Christian religion that has been the decisive spiritual force in the history of Western civilization. Along with Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism, it is one of the three major branches of Christianity. It is led by the pope, as the bishop of Rome, and the Holy See forms the

Christianity Summary

Christianity, major religion stemming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth (the Christ, or the Anointed One of God) in the 1st century ce. It has become the largest of the world’s religions and, geographically, the most widely diffused of all faiths. It has a constituency of

papacy Summary

Papacy, the office and jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, the pope (Latin papa, from Greek pappas, “father”), who presides over the Holy See (the central government) of the Roman Catholic Church. The term pope was originally applied to all the bishops in the West and also used to describe the

Avignon papacy Summary

Avignon papacy, Roman Catholic papacy during the period 1309–77, when the popes took up residence at Avignon, France, instead of at Rome, primarily because of the current political conditions. Distressed by factionalism in Rome and pressed to come to France by Philip IV, Pope Clement V moved the