Pope John XXII
Pope|English name=John XXII|image=
|birth_name=Jacques Duèze or d'Euse|term_start=
1316|term_end=
December 4,
1334|predecessor=
Clement V|successor=
Benedict XII|birth_date=
1249|birthplace=
Cahors,
France |dead=dead|death_date=
December 4,
1334|deathplace=
Avignon,
France|other=John}}
Pope John XXII (
1249 –
December 4,
1334), born
Jacques Duèze (or
d'Euse), was the son of a shoemaker in
Cahors. He studied medicine in
Montpellier and law in
Paris.
The two-year gap (
sede vacante) between the death of
Pope Clement V in
1314 and the election of John XXII in
1316 was due to extreme disagreement between the
cardinals, who were split into two factions. After two years,
Philip V of France (1316–22) finally managed to arrange a
conclave of twenty-three cardinals in
Lyon. They duly elected Jacques d'Euse Pope John XXII and he was crowned in
Lyon. He set up his residence in
Avignon rather than
Rome, the beginning of the
Avignon Papacy (1309–77).
John XXII involved himself in the politics and religious movements of many
European countries in order to advance the interests of the Church. This made him a very
controversial pope at the time.
Before John XXII's election a contest had begun for the imperial crown between
Louis IV of Bavaria (1314–47) and his opponent,
Frederick I of Austria (1308–30). John XXII was neutral at first; but in
1323, when Louis IV had won and became
Holy Roman Emperor, the
Guelph (papal) party and the
Ghibelline (imperial) party began a serious quarrel. This was partly provoked by John XXII's extreme claims of authority over the empire and also partly by Louis IV's support of the spiritual
Franciscans, whom John XXII condemned for their insistence on evangelical poverty. Louis IV was assisted in his doctrinal dispute with the papacy by
Marsilius of Padua, and later by the British monk
William of Ockham. Louis IV invaded Italy, entered Rome and set up Pietro Rainalducci as
antipope Nicholas V (1328–30). The project was a fiasco, and Guelphic predominance at Rome was later restored. However, Louis IV had silenced the papal claims, and John XXII stayed the rest of his life in Avignon.
Pope John XXII was involved in a theological controversy involving the
Beatific Vision. Beginning before he was pope, he argued that those who died in the faith did not see the presence of God until the
Last Judgment. The point is important to Catholics, since if the dead are not in the presence of God, then the whole idea of prayers to the
saints would seem to be undermined. John XXII continued this argument for a time in sermons while he was pope, although he never expressed his argument as an
ex cathedra teaching. He eventually backed down from his position, and agreed that those who died while in the faith do indeed enjoy the Beatific Vision.
John XXII was not considered to have become a heretic despite his denial for many years of the Catholic doctrine that souls of persons who die in grace are immediately admitted to the Beatific Vision since this doctrine was not formally established by the Church, a lacuna that his successor,
Pope Benedict XII (1334–42), immediately filled by his legislation in the encyclcal
Benedictus Deus which formally made this doctrine a part of Church teaching.
Pope John XXII was also an excellent administrator and did much efficient reorganizing.
John XXII has traditionally been credited with having composed the prayer 'Anima Christi, sanctifica me...', which has come down to us in English as 'Soul of Christ, sanctify me...' and as the hymn, 'Soul of my Saviour, sanctify my breast'.
He is frequently discussed in
Umberto Eco's
The Name of the Rose, and is also featured in
Maurice Druon's series of historical novels
The Accursed Kings.
The previous pope named John was Pope John XXI. The last pope named John before that was Pope John XIX (1024â€"32), who was additionally really only the eighteenth pope named John. And there is no Pope John XX (see article for explanation).
*
Avignon Papacy*
Catholic encyclopedia entry*
Palace of the Popes - Avignon
