Editing Franciscans (section)

====1274–1300====
The successor to Bonaventure, Jerome of Ascoli or Girolamo Masci (1274–1279), (the future [[Pope Nicholas&nbsp;IV]]), and his successor, [[Bonagratia of Bologna]] (1279–1285), also followed a middle course. Severe measures were taken against certain extreme [[Fraticelli|Spirituals]] who, on the strength of the rumor that [[Pope Gregory&nbsp;X]] was intending at the [[Second Council of Lyon|Council of Lyon]] (1274–1275) to force the mendicant orders to tolerate the possession of property, threatened both pope and council with the renunciation of allegiance. Attempts were made, however, to satisfy the reasonable demands of the Spiritual party, as in the bull ''Exiit qui seminat''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.papalencyclicals.net/nichol03/exiit-e.htm|title=Exiit qui seminat|date=August 14, 1279|access-date=January 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703073106/https://www.papalencyclicals.net/nichol03/exiit-e.htm|archive-date=July 3, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> of [[Pope Nicholas&nbsp;III]] (1279), which pronounced the principle of complete poverty to be meritorious and holy, but interpreted it in the way of a somewhat sophistical distinction between possession and usufruct. The bull was received respectfully by Bonagratia and the next two generals, [[Arlotto of Prato]] (1285–1287) and [[Matthew of Aqua Sparta]] (1287–1289); but the Spiritual party under the leadership of the Bonaventuran pupil and apocalyptic [[Peter Olivi|Pierre Jean Olivi]] regarded its provisions for the dependence of the friars upon the pope and the division between brothers occupied in manual labor and those employed on spiritual missions as a corruption of the fundamental principles of the Order. They were not won over by the conciliatory attitude of the next general, [[Raymond Gaufredi]] (1289–1296), and of the Franciscan Pope Nicholas&nbsp;IV (1288–1292). The attempt made by the next pope, [[Pope Celestine&nbsp;V|Celestine V]], an old friend of the order, to end the strife by uniting the Observantist party with his own order of hermits (see [[Celestines]]) was scarcely more successful. Only a part of the Spirituals joined the new order, and the secession scarcely lasted beyond the reign of the hermit-pope. [[Pope Boniface&nbsp;VIII]] annulled Celestine's bull of foundation with his other acts, deposed the general [[Raymond de Gaufredi|Raymond Gaufredi]], and appointed a man of laxer tendency, [[John de Murro]], in his place. The Benedictine section of the Celestines was separated from the Franciscan section, and the latter was formally suppressed by Pope Boniface&nbsp;VIII in 1302. The leader of the Observantists, Olivi, who spent his last years in the Franciscan house at Tarnius and died there in 1298, had pronounced against the extremer "Spiritual" attitude, and given an exposition of the theory of poverty which was approved by the more moderate Observantists, and for a long time constituted their principle.