Look up: conciliarism

1. 
   conciliarism
   Theory of Catholic Church government developed in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, during and after the Great Schism (1378-1417, when rival popes had seats in Rome and Avignon), claiming...
   Found on http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/
   
   
2. 
   Conciliarism
   In the history of Christianity, the `Conciliar movement` or ``Conciliarism`` was a reform movement in the 14th and 15th century Roman Catholic Church which held that final authority in spiritual matters resided with the Roman Church as corporation of Christians, embodied by a general church council, not with the pope. The movement emerged in response to the Avignon papacy— the popes were removed from Rome and subjected to pressures from the...
   Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conciliaris
   
   
3. 
   conciliarism
   in the Roman Catholic church, a theory that a general council of the church has greater authority than the pope and may, if necessary, depose him. ... [12 related articles]
   Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/c/124