successor of peter. if there is one st. peter, he can only have one legacy held by only one man. two popes become a clear sign that the spiritual source of papal power has been abandoned. having two popes is impossible. it s shattering for christendom. reformers say we ve got to do something about this. the future of the church hanging in the balance, in 1415, cardinals on both sides look for a solution. they convene a general unciltconstance and the pope s involved are summoned and are either deposed or invited to resign. both the roman pope, gregory xii and the avignon pope, benedict xii are forced to