Council of Florence: Difference between revisions

The union was proclaimed (in both Latin and Greek) in the document ''[[Bull of Union with the Greeks|Laetentur Caeli]]'' ("Let the Heavens Rejoice") on 6 July 1439, composedsigned by Pope Eugene and signedthe byByzantine Emperor Sigismund[[John VIII Palaiologos]] and all but one of the bishops present. Some Greek bishops, perhaps feeling political pressure from the Byzantine Emperor, reluctantly accepted the decrees of the Council. Other Eastern bishops did so by sincere conviction, such as [[Isidore of Kiev]], who subsequently suffered greatly for it. Only one Eastern Bishop refused to accept the union, [[Mark of Ephesus]], who became the leader of opposition back in Byzantium; the Serbian patriarch did not even attend the council. The [[Russian Orthodox Church]], upon learning of the union, angrily rejected it and ousted any prelate who was even remotely sympathetic to it, declaring itself [[Autocephaly|autocephalous]] (i.e., autonomous).