FLOP No. 35 – The Council of Pisa (1409)
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The Promise: A spiritual summit to end the Western Schism—two rival popes claiming authority. The Church convened Pisa to settle it once and for all.
What Happened: Neither pope showed. Pisa elected a third pope instead. Now there were three papacies. The schism deepened.
What Failed: No authority. No buy-in. Event structure worsened the crisis.
What We Learned: A summit without consensus multiplies chaos.
What an Event Pro Would’ve Advised: Confirm stakeholder legitimacy. Don’t stage unification without agreement.
