Exemte Orden auf Diözesansynoden des Spätmittelalters. Zur Praxisrelevanz von juristischen Debatten

Is the abbot of an exempt monastery obliged to participate in a diocesan synod? In the late
Middle Ages, this specific problem often provoked a fundamental discussion about the
balance of power within dioceses. Exemption privileges actually exempted abbots from the
obligation to attend synods, but according to canonical rules they were nevertheless obliged
to do so if incorporated parishes were subject to them. Subtle canonical considerations
about the prerogatives of bishops revealed the otherwise often unspoken structural
problems of the diocesan constitution. Reflections on the episcopate reveal the ambivalent
character of diocesan synods, which are perceived at the same time as a gesture of reverence
towards the bishop but also as his area of action in terms of political power.