The third council of national stature, or third

Council of Orléans The Council of Orléans may refer to any of several synods held in Orléans: * First Council of Orléans (511) * Second Council of Orléans (533) * Third Council of Orléans (538) * Fourth Council of Orléans (541) *Fifth Council of Orléans The Fif ...

, was a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

of the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

bishops of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It opened around 7 May 538 and was presided over by Loup,

Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...

. It established mainly: * Sunday as day of the Lord; * prohibition of field work on Sundays; * prohibition of clerics practicing

usury Usury () is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in e ...

; * prohibition of the conjuring of priests, as a critic of their bishop (canon 24, recall of canon 18 of the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; ) was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bithynia (modern-day Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey) from 8 Oct ...

, 451). * The bishop must redeem a Christian slave in the service of a Jew if he takes refuge in the church, while the constitutions of the Lower Roman Empire demanded to return them to their master, withovut further guarantees.W. Parker et B. Blumenkranz, ''Les esclaves chrétiens des Juifs. Troisième concile d'Orléans (538)'', Archives juives de Paris, vol. 21, nos 1-2, 1985, p. 3-4 A conciliabule, of which we do not know the subject, took place in Orleans in 540.

References

{{reflist 6th-century church councils Christianity in Francia