The Second Council of Braga

There were several religious councils held at Braga, the 11th of which took place as late as 1566. The illustration is Braga at the time of the last Council.) We talked about the First yesterday. The Second Council, held in 572 only 11 years after the first, wanted not only to formalize some of the practices of the clergy, it addressed behaviors of the clergy and bishops.

There were ten decrees from the Second Council, and they laid out some things that seem so appropriate that one wonders that hey were necessary.

The first says simply that bishops need to make sure that priests are performing the rituals and sacraments properly. Makes sense. Number two is quite simple: a bishop must not be tyrannical towards his priests. Well, that was unexpected.

Then the council addressed matters beneficial to the clergy and prevention g the bishop from taking advantage of them. There is no fee charged for entering Holy Orders, no fee for distributing holy chrism, no fee for consecrating a church. It sounds like some bishops were making money from their duties.

No church was to be consecrated unless the bishop determined that those managing it were appropriate. And a church built on private property was okay, unless it was set up so that the landowner could receive payment from those using it.

A priest who accused someone of "unchastity" needed evidence of two or three witnesses; otherwise, that press should be excommunicated.

The metropolitan (highest-ranking bishop, determined by the First Council as the earliest ordained bishop, would declare the date of Easter. This would be shared after Christmas, so that people could prepare for Lent.  (This was years before the Synod of Whitby and the official debate to determine the proper date for easter.)

Number ten was that fasting was mandatory for a priest before saying Mass, lest he be deprived from his face. Lack of fasting was a Priscillian practice, and stamping out that heresy was important.

Years later, Pope Innocent III (c.1160 – 16 July 1216) gave his approval to the Second Council's declarations.

The Third Council of Braga took place a little more than a century later, and this time the king of the Visigoths was very interested in reforming the church. 'll tell you about the council and King Wamba next time.