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Why did Michael of Cesena disagree with Pope John XXII about Franciscan poverty?

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William of Ockham English theologian and philosopher William of Ockham, detail from a stained-glass window, c. 1985; in All Saints' Church, Ockham, Surrey, England.

The disagreement between Michael of Cesena, the minister general of the Franciscan order, and Pope John XXII centered on the theological interpretation of poverty and the historical lifestyle of Jesus and his Apostles.12

Michael of Cesena maintained that Christ and his Apostles had renounced all forms of ownership, including both private and corporate property, as well as the right to use such property. Based on this belief, he argued that the Franciscan order was justified in its commitment to absolute poverty.2

In contrast, Pope John XXII rejected this doctrine. In his bull Cum inter nonnullos (1323), he declared the Franciscan position to be heretical, asserting that there was scriptural evidence to show that Christ and the Apostles did indeed own property. Furthermore, John XXII revoked the bull Exiit qui seminat (1279) of Pope Nicholas III, which had previously allowed the papacy to hold legal title to Franciscan possessions, thereby enabling the friars to claim poverty while still utilizing papal property. This conflict led to the excommunication and deposition of Michael of Cesena, who subsequently sought refuge with Louis IV the Bavarian.13