Council of Tortosa


The Council of Tortosa was an unrecognised Ecumenical Council held in Catalonia in 1429, d by Cardinal Pierre de Foix. The council convened between 19 September and 5 November, passing various decrees concerning the divine service, the ornaments of the church, instruction of youth, the qualifications of the holders of benefices, etc.
Attendees included all the prelates and many of the ecclesiastics of the Kingdom of Aragon, the Kingdom of Valencia, and of the principality of Catalonia. The king's letters confirming the liberties and immunities of the church were read, and at the end of the fourth session twenty canons were approved and published.

Purposes of the Council

, who was only recognised by the Aragonese, renounced the insignia of the papacy on 26 July 1429. His was confirmed by the Council, effectively bringing an end to the Great Schism.
The Inquisition had hardly touched the Crown of Aragon and the Crown of Castile in 1429, and the council entreated that "for divine mercy's sake, the king of Aragon, the barons, knights, prelates, and universities, should protect the Jews from violence, from which they would otherwise have suffered". The council succeeded in as much that about thirty years elapsed without an insurrection against the Jews. It wasn't until 1498 that the Spanish inquisition effectively swept away the protection that Spain's Jews enjoyed following the Council.

Canons

In all, 20 canon were published by the Council, including:
In addition, the Council: