FERRARA-FLORENCE, Council of. Upon the fall of Salonika to the Turks in 1429 the Emperor John Palwologus approached Mar tin V, Eugene IV and the Council of Basle to secure help against the Turks and to convoke a council for the reunion of the 'Greek and Latin churches, as the only means of effica ciously resisting the hordes of Islam. At first it was proposed to hold the council in some seaport town of Italy; then Constantinople was suggested. The members of the Council of Basle held out for Basle or Avignon. Finally, 18 Sept. 1437 Eugene IV decided that the coun cil would be held at Ferrara, that city being acceptable to the Greeks. The council was opened 8 Jan. 1438 by Cardinal Albergati, and the Pope attended on 27 January. Before the Greeks arrived, proclamation was made that all further action by the Council of Basle as such would be null and void. The Greeks, i.e., the emperor, with a train of archbishops, bishops and learned men (700 in all), landed at Venice 8 February and were cordially received and welcomed in the Pope's name by Ambrogio Traversari, the general of the Camaldolese. On 4 March the emperor entered Ferrara. The Greek bishops came a little later. Questions of precedence and ceremonial caused no small difficulty. For preparatory discussions on all controverted points a committee of 10 from either side was appointed. Among them were Marcus Eugenicus, of Ephesus; Bessarion, of Nica.a; Balsamon, Livopolis and others, for the Greeks; while Cardinals Giuliano Cesarini and Nicola Albergati, Giovanni Turrecremata and others represented the Latins. The Greek emperor at first prevented a discussion on the Procession of the Holy Spirit and on the use of leavened bread. For months the only thing
discussed or written about was the ecclesiastical teaching of purgatory. The uncertainty of the Greeks on this head was the cause of the delay. The emperor's object was to bring about a general union without any concessions on the part of the Greeks in matters of doctrine. Everybody deplored the delay, and a few of the Greeks, among them Eugenicus, attempted to depart secretly, but they were obliged to return. The sessions began 8 October, and from the opening of the third session the question of the Procession of the Holy Spirit was before the council constantly. Twelve sessions were devoted to this controversy. On both sides many saw no hope of an agreement, and once more many Greeks were eager to return home. Finally the emperor permitted his followers to proceed to the discussion of the orthodoxy of the