Michael of Cesena (Michele di Cesena or Michele Fuschi) (c. 1270 – November 29, 1342) was a Franciscan, general of that Order, and theologian, born at Cesena, a small town in Italy. The cathedral atop the Rock of Cashel in Ireland was completed in 1270. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May - Pope Clement VI elected John III Comnenus becomes emperor of Trebizond Louis becomes king of Sicily and duke of Athens Constantine IV becomes king of Armenia Patriarch of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II Kitzbühel becomes part of Tyrol Louis I becomes king of Hungary Births... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... Cesena (ancient Caesena) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, south of Ravenna and west of Rimini, on the Savio River, co-chief of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. ...

Early life

Of his early life little is known. Having entered the Franciscan Order, he studied at Paris and took the doctor's degree in theology. He taught theology at Bologna and wrote several commentaries on Holy Scripture and the Sentences of Peter Lombard. This article is about the medieval work. ...

The controversy over poverty

He was an advocate of ecclesiastical poverty, in which dispute he found himself ranged against Pope John XXII. The Mendicant (or Begging) Orders are religious orders which depend directly on the riches of the people for their livelihood. ... Pope John XXII, born Jacques Duèze or dEuse (1249 – December 4, 1334), was the son of a shoemaker in Cahors. ...

At the general chapter of Naples (31 May, 1316) he was elected minister general and went at once to Assisi, where he convoked a chapter to consider the revision of the Constitutions of the order. Returning to Bologna, he issued the document, Gravi qua premor (21 Aug., 1316), which, together with several other ordinances regarding the matter of poverty, induced John XXII to publish the Bull, Quorumdam exigit (7 Oct., 1317) whose purpose was to explain the decretals of Nicholas III, Exiit qui seminat (13 Aug., 1279), and of Clement V, Exivi de paradiso (6 May, 1312). As it concerned the principal chapter of the Franciscan Rule, this action caused no little disturbance within the order. For other uses, see Naples (disambiguation). ... Minister general is the term used for the superior general of various religious orders. ... This article is about the Italian town. ... For the food product, see Bologna sausage. ... Decretals (Epistolae decretales) is the name that is given in Canon Law to those letters of the pope which formulate decisions in ecclesiastical law. ... . Nicholas III, né Giovanni Gaetano Orsini (Rome, ca. ... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ...

The Bull was opposed by Michael and his party, who claimed that in adopting the strict poverty upon which Michael had insisted in his letters, they were following the example and teaching of Christ and the Apostles. Thus the controversy finally shifted to a speculative theological question: whether or not it was consonant with Catholic Faith to hold that Christ and the Apostles had no property individually or in common; and while in the famous dispute at Narbonne in 1321 the inquisitor, John of Belna, claimed that it was heretical, Berengarius of Perpignan declared it a Catholic dogma in perfect accordance with the decretals of Nicholas III and Clement V. Alternate meaning: See Apostle (Mormonism) The Christian Apostles were Jewish men chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth (as indicated by the Greek word απόστολος apostolos= messenger), by Jesus to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, across the...

The matter having been brought before John XXII, a further attempt to settle the controversy was made by distinguishing between dominion and simple use, so that both propositions, Christ and the Apostles had no property, i. e., dominion of property, and Christ and the Apostles possessed property, i. e., the use of property, were true. In the Bull Quia nonnunquam (26 March, 1322) the pope declared that he intended merely to explain the decrees of his predecessors, and excommunicated anyone who attempted to misconstrue the meaning of the papal Constitution Quorumdam exigit.

In June of the same year a general chapter of the order was convoked at Perugia and decided that to assert that Christ and His Apostles possessed no earthly goods was not only not heretical, but sound and Catholic doctrine. At the same time Bonagratia of Bergamo was commissioned to represent the chapter before the papal Curia, at Avignon. Location of Perugia in Italy Coordinates: , Country Region Province Province of Perugia Government  - Mayor Renato Locchi Area  - City 449 km²  (1,165 sq mi) Elevation 493 m (1,617 ft) Population (July 2006)[1]  - City 161,390  - Density 359/km² (929. ... Bonagratia of Bergamo[1] (c. ... The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Roman Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ...

Summons to Avignon

The controversy continued unabated until, in 1327, Michael was summoned to appear before the pope. The latter summoned him to Avignon in 1327 and Michael eventually agreed to go, after feigning illness and delaying. He obeyed a subsequent summons and was forbidden by the pope under pain of grave censure to leave Avignon. He was thus unable to attend the chapter held at Bologna in May of the following year (1328). Despite his absence and the protest of the papal legate, he was reelected minister general, the chapter deeming the charges against him insufficient to deprive him of office. City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Département Vaucluse (préfecture) Arrondissement Avignon Canton Chief town of 4 cantons Intercommunality Communauté dagglomération du Grand Avignon Mayor Marie-Josée Roig... Events January 25 - Edward III becomes King of England. ...

Michael managed to win over William of Ockham to his cause. Several prelates and princes wrote to the pope in Michael's behalf. In the following year, Cesena, Ockham, and a few other high-ranking Franciscans fled from the papal court. They had apparently wished to seek the protection of King Robert of Naples (who favoured their views), but a storm on the Mediterranean forced their galley back to the port of Aigues-Mortes, where they transferred to another ship manned by agents of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and were taken to Pisa. William of Ockham (also Occam or any of several other spellings, IPA: ) (c. ... Robert of Anjou, known as Robert the Wise (Italian: Roberto il Saggio, 1277 - 20 January 1343) was King of Naples from 1309 to 1343. ... Ramparts of the Town of Aigues-Mortes, one of the Municipalities of Languedoc. ... Emperor Louis IV Louis IV of Bavaria (also known as Ludwig the Bavarian) of the House of Wittelsbach (1282 – October 11, 1347) was duke of Bavaria from 1294/1301 together with his brother Rudolf I, also count of the Palatinate until 1329 and, German king since 1314 and crowned as... Leaning Tower of Pisa. ...

Deposition

At Pisa they were received by the party of Louis and were joined by a number of other schismatics. John XXII was declared to be deposed by the Emperor. Cesena was excommunicated by the Pope. Michael published a solemn appeal from the pope to a council (12 Dec., 1328), posted it on the door of the cathedral.

In 1329 Cesena was deposed from the Franciscan leadership, now controlled by the Pope, and in 1330 left with his followers in the entourage of Louis, for Germany. The general chapter of Paris (11 June, 1329), at which Cardinal Bertrand presided, had condemned the conduct and writings of Michael and all who took part with him against John XXII; and had elected Gerard Odon minister general of the Franciscan Order. Events Antipope Nicholas V is excommunicated by Pope John XXII. Aimone of Savoy becomes Count of Savoy. ... Bertrand de Turre[1] (c. ... Gerardus Odonis[1], (born probably at Châteauroux, in the present department of Indre, France, date unknown; died at Catania, Sicily in 1348) was a French theologian and Minister General of the Franciscan Order. ...

The pope issued the Encyclical Quia vir reprobus, warning the faithful against Michael; and the latter answered in his Ad perpetuam rei memoriam innotescat quod ego, Fr. Michael (25 Nov., 1330) and in Christianæ fidei fundamentum, in which he accused the pope of heresy in the three Bulls, Ad Conditorem Canonum, Cum inter nonnullos, and Quia quorumdam. These and Litteras plurium magistrorum, and Teste Solomone which Michael wrote in his own defence, are contained in Occam's Dialogue.

Later life

The chapter of Perpignan (25 April, 1331) expelled Michael from the order and sentenced him to perpetual imprisonment. He continued to struggle for his understanding of evangelical poverty for the rest of his life, and issued an Appeal against Benedict XII, who had succeeded John XXII, in 1338. He died in Munich, and was buried there in the Franciscan convent, the Barfüsserkirche. Apostolic poverty is a doctrine professed in the thirteenth century by the newly formed religious orders, known as the mendicant orders, in direct response to the call for reforms in the Roman Catholic Church. ... Benedict XII, née Jacques Fournier (c. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ...

He was officially rehabilitated in 1359.

Trivia

Michael de Cesena was one of the historical characters in Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose. Umberto Eco (born January 5, 1932) is an Italian medievalist, semiotician, philosopher and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) and his many essays. ... The Name of the Rose, a novel by Umberto Eco, is a murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327. ...

References

The story of Cesena's exciting flight from Avignon on May 26, 1328, and arrival at Pisa on June 8 is recounted in:

• G. Knysh, Biographical rectifications in Ockham's Avignon period, Franciscan Studies 46 (1986), pp. 61-91.

References from the Catholic Encyclopedia: This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

• Luke Wadding, Annales Minorum, ad an. 1316, nos. 3, 5, 10; ad an. 1328, nos. 6, 13, and passim; Scriptores Ordinis' Minorum, 259
• Eduard Marcour, Anteil der Minoriten am Kampfe zwischen König Ludwig IV . von Baiern und Papst Johann XXII. bis zum Jahre 1328 (Emmerich, 1874)
• E. Gudenatz, Michael von Cœsena (Breslau, 1876)
• Analecta Franciscana (Quaracchi, 1897), IV, 470, 487, 488, 509, 617, 704, 705.

Luke Wadding (1588 - 1657), Irish Franciscan friar and historian, was born in Waterford and went to study at Lisbon. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia article
• BBK page (German language)

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. Alexander Bonini (c. ... This is a list of the ministers general of the Order of Friars Minor; // Francis of Assisi (1210-1226) Johannes Parenti (1227-1232) 1st Minister general Elias of Cortona (1232-1239) 2nd Minister general Albert of Pisa (1239-1240) 3rd Minister general Haymo of Faversham (1240-1243) 4th Minister general... Events Pope John XXII elected to the papacy. ... Events Augustiner brew Munich May 1 - Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton - England recognises Scotland as an independent nation after the Wars of Scottish Independence May 12 - Nicholas V is consecrated at St Peters Basilica in Rome by the bishop of Venice. ... Bertrand de Turre[1] (c. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...