Third Lateran Council (1179) – Canon 27 against the Cathars and demonic dualism (Mansi vol. 22)

The Third Lateran Council (1179)

The Third Lateran Council, the eleventh Ecumenical Council, presided over by Pope Alexander III (Rolando Bandinelli), was the first Ecumenical Council to address the specific heresy of the Cathars, who advocated for a radical demonic dualism. Its Canon 27 (Sicut ait beatus Leo) condemns the Cathars and establishes the canonical basis for the repression of dualist heresy. Source: Mansi, *Sacrorum Conciliorum*, vol. 22, col. 209-235.

Who were the Cathars?

The Cathars (from Greek *katharoi*, meaning “pure”) were a medieval heretical sect with origins in Balkan Manichaeism (Bogomils in Bulgaria), spreading to southern France (Languedoc), northern Italy, and Spain during the 11th to 13th centuries. Their central doctrines include:– Absolute Dualism: Two eternal principles, God of Good (spirit) and God of Evil (Devil), the creator of material world and human body. – Evil Demi-Urge: The Devil is the creator of the material world and the human body. – Non-Incarnate Christ: Christ is only an “appearance” of a man (docetism). – Rejection of Catholic Sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, and marriage are considered material and therefore demonic. – Ritual Suicide (Endura): To escape the material body.Absolute Vegetarianism: Prohibited the consumption of animals (creatures of the Devil).The Cathars opposed Catholic doctrine on the original goodness of creation and limited demonic action. They believed the material world was entirely demonic.Latin Text, Canon 27 (Mansi vol. 22, Col. 231-232)> «Sicut ait beatus Leo, licet Ecclesiastica disciplina, sacerdotali contenta iudicio, cruentas refugiat ultiones, catholicorum tamen Principum constitutionibus adiuvatur, ut saepe quaerant homines salutiferum remedium, dum corporale super se metuunt evenire supplicium. Eapropter, quia in Gasconia, Albigesio et partibus Tolosanis et aliis locis ita haereticorum quos alii Catharos, alii Patarinos, alii Publicanos, alii aliis nominibus vocant, invaluid damnata perversitas, ut iam non in occulto, sicut alibi, nequitiam suam exerceant, sed errorem suum publice manifestent, et ad consensum suum simplices attrahant et infirmos: eos et defensores eorum et receptores anathemati decernimus subiacere.»Portuguese Translation, Canon 27> «Como diz o beato Leão, embora a disciplina eclesiástica, contentando-se com o juízo sacerdotal, fuja das vinganças sangrentas, é contudo apoiada pelas constituições dos Príncipes católicos, para que os homens busquem frequentemente o remédio salvífico, enquanto temem que sobre eles caia o suplício corporal. Por isso, dado que na Gasconha, em Albi, nas regiões de Toulouse e em outros lugares, prevaleceu de tal modo a perversidade condenada dos hereges, chamados por uns Cátaros, por outros Patarenos, por outros Publicanos, por outros com outros nomes, que já não em segredo, como em outros lugares, exercem a sua maldade, mas publicamente manifestam o seu erro e atraem ao seu consenso os simples e os fracos: decretamos que estes, juntamente com os seus defensores e receptores, fiquem sujeitos a anátema.»What is Specifically Condemned:Canon 27 of the Lateranense III condemns:– Catarian dualist doctrine: two eternal principles (good and evil) – Attribution of creation to the Devil – Rejection of the sacraments – Denial of Christ’s real Incarnation – Practice of endurance (spiritually justified suicide)The Text Cited: St. Leo the GreatCanon 27 begins with the citation «Sicut ait beatus Leo» (As says the blessed Leo), referring to Letter 15 of St. Leo the Great (449), which had already condemned Priscillianism (a dualist heresy from Hispania and Gaul). The Lateranense III thus establishes a magisterial continuity of over 700 years against dualism:– 449: St. Leo the Great, Letter 15 against Priscillianism

Implications for Catholic Demonology

The Lateranense III establishes fundamental principles that form the basis of all subsequent Catholic demonology:– The Devil is not an eternal principle opposed to God. – The Devil is not the creator of anything; only God creates. – The Devil does not possess absolute power; his actions are limited by divine sovereignty. – Matter is good; created by God for holy purposes. – The body is not a prison for the soul; it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. – The sacraments, in their material form, are salvific and not demonically inspired. – Extreme asceticism (endura) is prohibited; suicide does not atone for sins.

The Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229)

In response to the continued existence of Cathars after the Lateranense III, Pope Innocent III called for the Albigensian Crusade in 1209, a military campaign against the Cathars in the south of France. This was one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Church, marked by massive destructions (Béziers, Carcassonne, etc.). The Lateranense IV (1215) was convened in part to address the aftermath.

Doctrinal Legacy

The condemnation of Cathar dualism in the Lateranense III was further confirmed and developed:– Lateranense IV (1215), *Firmiter credimus*: a positive definition, “God is the unique creator of all.” – *Cantate Domino* (1442) of Florence: reiterates the teachings of the Lateranense IV. – *Roman Catechism* (1566): a post-Tridentine synthesis. – *CDF, Faith and Demonology* (1975): contemporary doctrine, rejecting any form of dualism.

Cathars and New Age Movements

Although extinct by the 14th century, Cathar influence has resurfaced in modern currents:– New Age movements teaching cosmic dualism. – Modern Gnosticism (Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant). – Psychological Manichaeism (Carl Jung’s concept of the “shadow”). – Neo-Cathar romanticism in some esoteric circles in southern France.The condemnation of the Lateranense III remains relevant against these modern reincarnations of demonically inspired dualism.

Further Reading

IV Lateran Council (1215) | Bracarense I (561) | CDF Faith and Demonology | Florence Cantate Domino (1442)