Quinisext Council

Quinisext Council, council that was convened in 692 by the Byzantine emperor Justinian II to issue disciplinary decrees related to the second and third councils of Constantinople (held in 553 and 680–681). They were the fifth and sixth ecumenical councils—hence the name Quinisext. The two ecumenical councils had dealt only with doctrinal matters.

The Quinisext Council prepared 102 canons, many of which were directed against Western Church customs and legislation; they also showed the differences between the Eastern and Western churches (e.g., clerical celibacy was rejected in the East). The Western Church and the Pope were not represented at the council. Justinian, however, wanted the Pope as well as the Eastern bishops to sign the canons. Pope Sergius I (687–701) refused to sign, and the canons were never fully accepted by the Western Church.