Synod prowincjonalny w Łowiczu w 1556 roku

Abstract

The provincial synod at Łowicz (6-11 November 1556) was held at what was a particularly difficult time for the Catholic Church in Poland. The pressure by Reformation movements was so strong that the Holy See was not even ruling out Poland's secession from Rome. Impatient with the lack of determined anti-Reformation action by King Sigismund August and eager to oppose the various Reformation tendencies, Gniezno archbishop and Primate Mikołaj Dzierzgowski and the first papal nuncio in Poland Alvis Lippomano decided to call a provincial synod to Łowicz. The synod started amid tensions caused by Lippomano's claims to preside over its sessions, a function canonically reserved for the archbishop. What is more, the nuncio had no such right as it was not included in his facultates. All the same, Lippomano did preside over the synod's sessions. The synod dealt with two kinds of problems: doctrine and Church discipline. As regards the former, it decided to accept and promulgate to the faithful of the Catholic Church the articles of faith formulated by the théologiens of the University of Lovanium, which originated from the constitutions of the Council of Florence and from the works of St. Thomas Aquinas; to these the synod added five articles coming from St. Augustine's De Trinitate, because of the rise of antitrinitarians in Little Poland. The decisions on Church discipline were mostly a repetition of decisions taken at earlier provincial synods, especially those of Łęczyca (1547) and Piotrków (1551). The major new decisions included a prohibition to accept, change or leave a benefice without permission of the spiritual authority and a prohibition to give up a benefice without due cause, which had to be stated under oath. Furthermore, it was resolved that every preacher had to make a confession of fait and pass examinations, and have permission to preach from the ordinary bishop. In view of fragments of desecration of the Blessed Sacrament the synod issued regulations on the custody of the Blessed Sacrament, together with an injunction that priests celebrating holy mass should keep close watch on the communicants.