Editing Council of Florence (section)

==Council transferred to Ferrara and attempted reunion with Eastern Orthodox Churches==
[[File:Argyropoulos (detail) Calling of the Apostles.JPG|upright|thumb|[[John Argyropoulos]] was a Greek Byzantine diplomat who attended the Council of Florence in 1439.<ref>
{{cite web
|url= https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/34066/John-Argyropoulos
|title= John Argyropoulos.|publisher= Encyclopedia Britannica 
|access-date= 2009-10-02
|quote= Argyropoulos divided his time between Italy and Constantinople; he was in Italy (1439) for the Council of Florence and spent some time teaching and studying in Padua, earning a degree in 1443.
}}
</ref> ]]
As a result of negotiations with the East, Emperor [[John VIII Palaiologos]] accepted [[Pope Eugene IV]]'s offer. By a bull dated 18 September 1437, Pope Eugene again pronounced the dissolution of the Council of Basel and summoned the fathers to [[Ferrara]] in the [[Po Valley]].

The first public session at Ferrara began on 10 January 1438. Its first act declared the Council of Basel transferred to Ferrara and nullified all further proceedings at Basel. In the second public session (15 February 1438), Pope Eugene IV excommunicated all who continued to assemble at Basel.

In early April 1438, the Byzantine contingent, over 700 strong, arrived at Ferrara. On 9 April 1438, the first solemn session at Ferrara began, with the Eastern Roman Emperor, the Patriarch of Constantinople and representatives of the [[Patriarchate of Antioch|Patriarchal Sees of Antioch]], [[Patriarchate of Alexandria|Alexandria]] and [[Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] in attendance and Pope Eugene IV presiding. The early sessions lasted until 17 July 1438 with each [[Theological differences between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church|theological issue of the East–West Schism]] (1054) hotly debated, including the Processions of the Holy Spirit, the ''[[Filioque]]'' clause in the [[Nicene Creed]], [[purgatory]], and [[papal primacy]]. Resuming proceedings on 8 October 1438, the Council focused exclusively on the Filioque matter. Even as it became clear that the Byzantine Church would not consent to the Filioque clause, the Byzantine Emperor continued to press for a reconciliation.

Initially, the seating arrangements were meant to feature the pope in the middle with the Latins on one side and Greeks on the other, but the Greeks protested. It was decided to have the altar with the open Bible in the center of the one end of the chamber, and the two high ranking delegations facing each other on the sides of the altar, while the rest of the delegations were below further in chamber. The Byzantine Emperor's throne was opposite that of the Holy Roman Emperor (who never attended), while the Patriarch of Constantinople faced opposite a cardinal, and the other high-ranking cardinals and bishops faced the Greek metropolitans. The throne of the pope was set slightly apart and higher.<ref name=":0" />