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Why did William of Ockham flee Avignon in 1328?

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William of Ockham fled Avignon on May 26, 1328, alongside the Franciscan general Michael of Cesena and Bonagratia of Bergamo.1

His departure was driven by escalating tensions with Pope John XXII regarding the doctrine of Franciscan poverty. The Franciscans maintained that Christ and his Apostles had renounced all ownership of property, a position the Pope opposed. Ockham had been summoned to Avignon to address this dispute and his own theological teachings, which had been denounced by John Lutterell. After being instructed to study papal bulls on poverty, Ockham concluded that the Pope was a heretic who had forfeited his mandate. Fearing the consequences of this conflict and the deteriorating relationship between the Franciscan leadership and the papacy, Ockham and his companions fled to seek the protection of Emperor Louis IV in Pisa.1