The Spirit of Pistoia

This chapter examines the reception of the Synod of Pistoia and the failure of Riccian reform. It details Ricci’s and Peter Leopold’s strategies after the Synod, and the rejection of Pistoianism by most of the Tuscan bishops at the Episcopal Assembly in Florence in 1787. The chapter argues that the swift downfall of Pistoianism in Tuscany was the direct result of the imprudence of some of Ricci’s reforms. The reception of Pistoianism throughout Italy and in France, Spain, and the German-speaking world is then explored. Papal rejection in the bull Auctorem fidei, and the considerations of the committee which prepared it, are examined. The final part of the chapter evaluates Riccian reform and the Synod of Pistoia from the perspective of Yves Congar’s four conditions for true reform in the Church, and argues that despite many positive elements, the Pistoian movement fails three of these four conditions.