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Execrabilis is a papal bull issued by Pope Pius II on 18 January 1460 condemning conciliarism. The bull received its name from the opening word of its Latin text, which labelled as "execrable" all efforts to appeal an authoritative ruling of a Pope to a council.
This decree established a precedent whereby even the Pope is subject to the decrees of an ecumenical council. Encouraged by this decree, a rump of bishops defiantly continued to meet at Basel even after Pope Eugene IV had transferred the main body of the Council of Basel to Ferrara. Those remaining at Basel believed themselves to constitute the true council and even felt empowered to declare Eugene IV deposed and elect an anti-pope in response to their eventual excommunication. Although Basel had set out to reform the Catholic Church, the mixed and somewhat confused results it produced, coupled with Eugene IV's actions, convinced many to look somewhere other than the papacy for real reforms. At times these conciliarist attempts at reform became a political tool wielded by those who sought to undermine the Pope.Dolan 1965, p. 136.
These developments posed a significant challenge to the authority of the papacy. In an effort to nullify the threat, Pius II issued Execrabilis to proclaim that the judgments of his office are final and cannot be appealed.
When Execrabilis was issued, many prelates in France and Germany were opposed to this bull on account of their support for conciliarism.Bunson 2004, p. 343. In the 16th century, these conciliarist tendencies helped to generate support for Martin Luther, who had in 1518 lodged with a notary his own appeal to a general council from the judgment of the Pope.Bainton 1950, p. 98. In 1520, Pope Leo X alluded to Execrabilis when he brought up the name of his predecessor Pius II in his own bull, Exsurge Domine, which threatened Luther with excommunication for teachings the Catholic Church perceived to be problematic. Leo declared that "Luther broke forth in a rash appeal to a future council. This to be sure was contrary to the constitution of Pius II and Julius II our predecessors that all appealing in this way are to be punished with the penalties of heretics."Leo X, Exsurge Domine.
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