Did Pope John VIII intend to have an ecumenical council in Troyes in 878? He indeed called it an “synodum universalem” (John VIII, Letter 137) and tried to summon all the bishops (or fitting legates) of the domains of Carlomann II, (Letter 139, 142) King Charles the Fat (Letter 137, 140) and King Louis (Letter 137). John VIII additionally attempted to secure the attendance of these kings as well and brought monks from Jerusalem to this council seemingly against their will. (Letter 233 apologizes to Theodosius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, for this.) There seems to have been an honest attempt, like Lateran 649, to make something like an ecumenical council in the West–if anything, it was an even stronger attempt. Yet, this council is mostly forgotten about today.

Why? The synod was unspectacular. It settled some issues concerning privileges (monastic charters) which sent some more money into Rome’s coffers. Despite John VIII’s frequent reminders of excommunication for not attending, attendance was minimal (for a list in English, see here) though the attendance of Hincmar of Reims and King Louis was notable. (Letter 149). Even still, it was far from being representative of the West–let alone the whole Church. However, the air seemed to be left out of the balloon. In Letter 152, John VIII simply calls the council “a general synod of the majority of bishops” (synodum generalem plurimorum celebraremus episcoporum).

There are a few observations one can make. First, one may conclude that Pope John VIII recognized that it was not in a Pope’s power to unilaterally conduct an ecumenical council. Second, the council explicitly notes that canons are inspired by the Holy Spirit as is the consensus of the council. This shows that consensus-based ecclesiology and epistemology were the operating presumptions of the attendees. Lastly, John VIII’s excommunications usually have a tone of finality in his other letters, but in this council he does not. This demonstrates that the issue of excommunication may be spoken of as final by a particular bishop, but it is not absolutely binding without a conciliar judgment.

As follows is a privilege issued by the council, seemingly its most important work (Letter 149):

JOHN, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God, to all bishops throughout the provinces of Gaul, to abbots, priests, and all ranks of people dedicated to divine service, and also to counts, viscounts, vicars, centurions, judges, and all those in positions of power, to all the people, and to the whole universal Church.

In the name of Almighty God, in the year of the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 878, on the 15th day before the Kalends of September, in the eleventh indiction, in the presence of the Lord, with Lord Louis, the most serene king, residing in this council, etc.

Let it be known to all the aforementioned that in previous times, when we traveled by sea to Arles on the business of all the Churches, we recalled the monastery of St. Peter, where the body of the blessed Giles rests, located in the Flavian Valley, in the county of Nîmes, within the borders of Septimania, which Valley Flavius, once king of the Goths, had given to the said blessed Giles; and later, St. Giles had made a complete donation of it to the Apostolic See in Rome. However, since the distance separated this monastery from our Church, and because we had been unable to send a legate there due to other responsibilities, the Bishop of Nîmes had presumptuously seized this monastery. But when we searched the archives of our church, we found the document that St. Giles had delivered. We then sought restitution of it through our advocate Deusdedit, the duke of Ravenna, against Gilbert, the Bishop of Nîmes, who is present in this council. Gilbert attempted to defend his claim by a document from Pope Nicholas, which he had secretly obtained, and by a charter from a certain king of the Franks, which lacked legitimacy. However, I warned all bishops and judges, both in Rome and in the provinces, under threat of excommunication, to act justly on this matter.

Then Rostagnus, the Archbishop of Arles; Walbert, Bishop of Porto; Paschalis, Bishop of Amelia; Radbert, Bishop of Valencia; Litidumus, Bishop of Marseille; Ictarius, Bishop of Viviers; and other bishops of the Province, along with the judges—John, duke and battivus of Ravenna, Ardus, Adalbert, Gisalfred, Arderad, Godulf, and other provincial judges—heard the reading of the document and recognized it as the legitimate act of Pope Nicholas. They then judged that the aforementioned Bishop Gilbert should immediately restore the monastery to us and compensate us for the unlawful seizure. Given Gilbert’s poverty, we remitted the fine provided he did not sin further, and we received the monastery in full integrity. We then sent our advocate, Duke Deusdedit, to that place to receive bodily possession of all the properties of the aforementioned monastery from Bishop Gilbert.

Therefore, relying on divine help, I and all the bishops of this council, by the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom, and by whom, and in whom all things exist, under all anathema, detest, forbid, and excommunicate, decreeing that none of our successors in this holy Apostolic See, in which, by the grace of the Lord, we serve, may in present or future times ever transfer any of the aforementioned possessions, whether to an emperor, a king, or any worldly power, nor may any bishop of the diocese to which this place pertains, nor any count of the jurisdiction, dare to seize anything from this monastery. Furthermore, let no one attempt to impose any reduction or encroachment on these properties in any way.

Hence, from this council, we confirm all properties and holdings associated with the said monastery, with all its appendages and belongings, both movable and immovable, which have been donated there by the generosity of God-fearing individuals, to Amulius, a priest and archdeacon of the Uzès church, charging all of you to oversee and defend and diligently preserve this monastery, such that each year, a tithe of ten solidi of silver and twelve denarii shall be collected for ecclesiastical expenses, ensuring paternal protection for this monastery against all adversaries.

Brothers, it is clear that the Apostolic Church is the mother of all churches, from whose teachings we must not deviate; as the Son of God came to fulfill the Father’s will, so you should fulfill the will of your mother, the Church, whose head, as mentioned, is the Roman Church. Our Father is certainly God, who created us, and our Mother is the Church, who spiritually regenerated us in baptism. Therefore, whoever takes away money from Christ and the Church, defrauding and robbing, will be deemed a murderer in the sight of the righteous judge. As it is written: “He who takes the money of his neighbor commits iniquity; but he who takes money or property from the Church commits sacrilege.” Judas, who defrauded the money meant for the Church, which was intended to feed the poor, whom the Church must support according to the command of the Savior—whose place the bishops occupy—became not only a thief but also a robber and sacrilegious. The Lord, therefore, speaking through the prophet, declares to all who rob, defraud, or take away the possessions of the Church: “God, do not be silent, do not be still, and do not rest” (Ps. 83:2).

Hence, both I and all bishops of this council decree that anyone who opposes this monastery of the Apostolic See or this priest shall be excluded from communion with the Body of Christ and from the fellowship of the faithful, separated, condemned, and anathematized.

May they be cursed in the city, cursed in the field, cursed be the fruit of their land. May their interiors and exteriors be cursed. Let the sky above them be like bronze, and the earth under them like iron. May their prayers come before God as sin. Like Dathan and Abiram, may they descend alive into hell. All who partake in their company, or eat with them, or listen to their accursed songs, knowingly participating in this curse, may be cast out with Judas, the betrayer of Christ. Let their water become putrid; let their wine turn sour; let rust consume their bread, and moths devour their clothing.

Let all the curses of the New and Old Testaments fall upon them until they come to worthy satisfaction and proper penance to the Mother Church.

John of the Apostolic See of Peter says farewell to all who observe these decrees.

Certainly, here is the translation of the signatures:

  1. Hincmar, Archbishop of Reims, signs.
  2. Ansigisus, Archbishop of Sens, signs.
  3. Aurelianus, Archbishop of Lyon, signs.
  4. Rostagnus, Archbishop of Arles, signs.
  5. Sigebodus, Archbishop of Narbonne, signs.
  6. Theudericus, Archbishop of Besançon, signs.
  7. Auterannus, Archbishop of Vienne, signs.
  8. Frotharius, Archbishop of Bourges, signs.
  9. Adalaldus, Archbishop of Tours, signs.
  10. Berno, Bishop of Châlons, signs.
  11. John, Archbishop of Rouen, signs.
  12. Aldebertus, Bishop of Senlis, signs.
  13. Isaac, Bishop of Langres, signs.
  14. Ingelvinus, Bishop of Paris, signs.
  15. Otulfus, Bishop of Troyes, signs.
  16. Ingomarus, Bishop of Laon, signs.
  17. Eldeboldus, Bishop of Soissons, signs.
  18. Willelmus, Bishop of Limoges, signs.
  19. Gislabertus, Bishop of Chartres, signs.
  20. Rotbertus, Bishop of Valencia, signs.
  21. Garbaldus, Bishop of Cavaillon, signs.
  22. Rainelmus, Bishop of Noyon, signs.
  23. Abo, Bishop of Maguelonne, signs.
  24. Oddo, Bishop of Beauvais, signs.
  25. Girbertus, Bishop of Nîmes, signs.
  26. Walterius, Bishop of Orléans, signs.
  27. Walafredus, Bishop of Uzès, signs.
  28. Macharius, Bishop of Lodeve, signs.
  29. Rotfredus, Bishop of Avignon, signs.
  30. Alaricus, Bishop of Béziers, signs.
  31. Ictarius, Bishop of Viviers, signs.
  32. Teutarius, Bishop of Girona, signs.
  33. Abo, Bishop of Nevers, signs.
  34. Frodoinus, Bishop of Barcelona, signs.
  35. Lambertus, Bishop of Mâcon, signs.
  36. Joannes, Bishop of Cambrai, signs.
  37. Adalgarius, Bishop of Autun, signs.
  38. Barnarius, Bishop of Grenoble, signs.
  39. Ademarus, Bishop of Clermont, signs.
  40. Arnulfus, Bishop of Turin, signs.
  41. Rainelmus, Bishop of Meaux, signs.
  42. Aigofredus, Bishop of Poitiers, signs.
  43. Ainulfus, Bishop of Gévaudan, signs.
  44. Georgius, Secretary of the Holy Roman Church, completed and verified this judgment after the signing by witnesses and the official handover.
  45. Raimundus, Count, signs.
  46. Berengarius, Viscount, signs.
  47. Aimaricus signs.
  48. Olumbellus signs.
  49. Teutrannus signs.
  50. Gaucelinus signs.
  51. Emenus, Viscount, signs.
  52. Oddo, Viscount, signs.
  53. Ugo, Count, signs.

The council sent a letter with milquetoast instructions to Spain (Letter 150):

John, Bishop, Servant of the Servants of God, to all Bishops, Counts, Vice-counts, Centenaries, Catholic Judges dwelling in the provinces of Spain and Gothic lands, and to all the Western Catholic people, greetings and apostolic blessing.

Let it be known, most beloved sons, that for the welfare of the holy Church of God, we have ordered a synodal council to be convened in the city of Troyes. While we were seated in assembly, our son Sigebodus, Bishop of the primatial see of Narbonne, came into our presence with his suffragan bishops and presented to us a copy of the Gothic law, which contained no provisions on sacrilege. In those same laws, it was written that cases not addressed by those laws were not to be heard by the judges of that region, which allowed the rights of the holy Church to be obstructed by the inhabitants of Gaul and the provinces of Spain.

Thus, our judgment, together with the bishops mentioned, examined the Roman laws where provisions for sacrilege were found. We discovered that Emperor Justinian had established a law for the punishment of sacrilege, setting the penalty at five pounds of pure gold. But we command that a more lenient law, instituted by the pious ruler Charlemagne regarding sacrilege, be followed: namely, the restitution of sacrilege in the amount of thirty pounds of pure silver, equivalent to six hundred solidi of the finest silver.

Therefore, anyone found guilty of sacrilege must pay this lighter restitution to the bishops, abbots, or other persons to whom the complaint of sacrilege justly pertains. And if the guilty party refuses to make restitution, he shall remain under excommunication until he has paid the aforementioned sum of six hundred solidi. Should he die in this state of obstinacy, his body shall not be carried to burial with psalms and hymns. Moreover, we command that this law be written at the end of the secular code of law.

As follows are minutes preserved from the synod (Letters 375-379):

The address of the pontiff to the bishops at the end of the Synod of Troyes.

I desire that you, my fellow brothers and co-bishops, join with me in unanimous support of the holy Roman Church, which is acknowledged as the head of all churches, until, with God’s help, we return to the seat of the blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, with the armed forces of all your people, equipped for battle. I ask you to respond to this matter without delay, here and now, with all speed and certainty of pledge, without any postponement.

The address of the pontiff to the king.

I beseech you, dearest son, Louis, glorious king, to come to the defense, liberation, and exaltation of the holy Roman Church, just as your predecessors have done and as they instructed you under solemn oath to do, without delay or postponement; for you are ministers of God, avengers in wrath against those who act wickedly, and you do not bear the sword without cause. Lest, God forbid, you or your kingdom should be covered with that same guilt that condemned certain ancient kings who, by sparing the enemies and faithless of God, brought damnation upon themselves. Or if something else is pleasing to you, I implore you by God and by blessed Peter, give an answer here and now, in this very place, without delay.

The address of Pope John to the Fathers of the Second Synod of Troyes, on the excommunication of Lambert, Adalbert, and their followers.

Beloved, mourn with me and with the Apostolic See, which is the head and teacher of all the Churches of God, the same mother who bore you in her holy womb—kings of the earth and all people, princes and all judges of the earth, sacred brothers and fellow priests of God, venerable bishops of the Churches of Christ, and men of all the holy orders. Join with me in weeping over such great offenses against the Church of Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles and keeper of the keys of the heavenly kingdom, to whom the power to bind and loose has been given by God. Lament, with profound sorrow, the invasions and insults inflicted upon the city of Rome, and, together with me—who holds the care and solicitude for you all and, according to the word of the Lord, whenever need arises, should confirm you in all good things and bring you necessary comfort—stand firmly, seeking and judging the perpetrators of such great iniquity and presumptuousness. May they be temporally punished with fitting retribution so that their spirits may be saved on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have excommunicated Lambert, Adalbert, and their followers in the church of Saint Peter the Apostle, together with our fellow bishops and brothers in Italy, because of their grave crimes and manifold perjuries exposed. And because they have persisted in these actions, we have decreed that they be excluded from Christian communion. This decree, written in the aforesaid church of blessed Peter, has been placed so that those entering and leaving may read it, mourn, and hold them accursed. And you, dearest brothers, as we have decreed, regard them as strangers to our communion, and join with me in casting down those who support them as anathematized.

Response of the Bishops.

Most holy and reverend Father of Fathers, John, pope of the Catholic and Apostolic Church, that is, of the first see, the Roman Church, we, the servants and disciples of your authority, bishops of Gaul and Belgium, share in the pain inflicted upon our holy mother and teacher of all Churches by wicked men and servants of the devil, adding to the wounds of your sorrows. We suffer with you, and in our grief join in your sorrow. We affirm, with our voice, unanimous agreement, and the authority of the Holy Spirit—by whose grace we are consecrated in the episcopal order—the judgment of your authority which, by the privilege of blessed Peter and the Apostolic See, you have pronounced against them and their accomplices according to the sacred canons established by the Spirit of God and venerated by the whole world, and according to the decrees of your predecessors, the pontiffs of the same Roman See.

With the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, we pursue and condemn them. Those whom you have excommunicated, we hold excommunicated; those whom you have cast out from the Church, we cast out; those whom you have anathematized, we judge to be anathematized; and those whom, upon sincere satisfaction, your authority and the Apostolic See shall receive, we too will receive.

But, just as we read in sacred history of the Egyptian plague inflicted by God (Exod. 12), where there was no house without someone dead, and no one to console another because each had something to mourn in his own home, so we, too, have things to mourn in our own Churches. Therefore, with all humility of heart, we ask that you support us with your authority, asking that you promulgate a directive from your authority instructing us on how we ought to act against the invaders of our Churches, so that, strengthened by the authority of the Apostolic See, we and our successors may continue with even greater strength and readiness—by the help of the Lord—to stand united in opposition to those who plunder and devastate the possessions of the Church and disdain the sacred office of episcopal ministry.

Thus, following the voice of the illustrious preacher and the decree of your authority, those delivered to Satan may find salvation in spirit on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Excommunication Against Those Who Seize Church Property, Issued in the Same Synod.

Regarding those who unlawfully seize church property—whom the sacred canons, established by the Spirit of God and consecrated by the reverence of the whole world, as well as the decrees of the pontiffs of the Apostolic See, have determined to be under anathema until they make regular satisfaction—and also regarding robbers, whom the Apostle, speaking with Christ’s authority, declares will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6), and with whom every true Christian is ordered not even to eat while they remain in that crime (1 Cor. 5), we decree by the power of Christ and the judgment of the Holy Spirit that if by the upcoming Kalends of November those who have unjustly seized church property do not restore these things to the churches, making regular satisfaction, they shall be excluded from communion in the body and blood of Christ until they restore the church property and make satisfaction.

Furthermore, the sacred ministry of episcopal authority excommunicates those who despise the authority of the Church’s excommunication. In accordance with the Gospel and apostolic authority (Matt. 18), those persistently refusing to make satisfaction after being admonished by the bishops concerned will remain bound by anathema until they repent and make satisfaction. If they die while remaining in such obstinacy, no one shall bury their bodies with hymns and psalms, nor shall their memory be remembered at the holy altar among the faithful dead. As the Apostle and Evangelist John teaches: “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that anyone should pray for that” (1 John 5), for sin unto death is persevering in sin until death.

The sacred canons of the ancient Fathers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, decree that the bodies of those who deliberately take their own lives, or who are punished for their crimes, shall not be accompanied to burial with hymns and psalms. Following their decrees, we judge by the judgment of the Holy Spirit that the same applies to those who seize and rob church property and assets, if they do not repent. As blessed Gregory decreed, such people are not Christians, and I, along with all Catholic bishops and indeed the universal Church, anathematize them.