CHURCH HISTORY

THE POPES AND THE EMPERORS

Henry IV and Gregory VII

It was then about the year 1000 that Christendom had been established for the greatest part in Europe; but although the Church had now been considerably enlarged, she had deviated very far from the simplicity of the truth, however. Instead of seeking primarily what the Word of God teaches us, the leaders especially were continually engaged with the question as to whom the highest power in Church and State belonged. Gregory the Great had already defended the opinion that the bishop of Rome was invested with the supreme authority over the whole Church. In order that this idea or notion might find more acceptance, they had made a new ecclesiastical code in the ninth century. To the ecclesiastical rules which had been gathered in the eighth century by a Spanish bishop, Isidore of Seville, they had added others, which they pretended had originated from the first bishops of the Church. The falsity of this assertion had been sufficiently proved, but the contents of those laws offered the popes an appropriate occasion to give an appearance of justice in their contention for the supreme authority in the Church. It was declared in these laws that the pope alone had the right to convene a synodical meeting, and to install the bishops in their office, and that they were in duty bound to obey him in all things. The bishops, however, did not always feel disposed to acknowledge the authority of the pope. Because they were often endowed with worldly goods by the princes and magistrates, they had acquired for themselves a certain independency in their district; many also became guilty of simoniacal practices, and consequently they were not concerned about the decisions of Rome.

In their strife regarding the supreme authority, the popes also found a strong opposition in the monarchs. It is true that the latter often sought the support of Rome to vindicate their authority, but as soon as their purpose was achieved they again asserted their independence. At this point it must be stated that the influence of the popes was greatly weakened by their immoralities, while the monarchical crown was worn by mighty princes of the German realm. The aim of the German princes was to establish a great German realm in uniting Germany with Italy, and to purge and bring about good order in the Church under their protection. For a long time it seemed that they would attain their goal. With a mighty hand they ruled, and more than once they asserted their authority in the Church.

It was Henry III, who succeeded in elevating the monarchical power to its highest peak. The corruption of morals at the papal court had reached its climax during his time. The greatest crimes were committed shamelessly by the popes; they even sold to each other the papal dignity. It so happened that three popes reigned at Rome at the same time; although they had sold the papal office to each other, not one of them would yield the claim to the papal seat. Henry was aware of all this and seized this opportunity to cause all of them to be deposed and to appoint the bishop of Bamberg in their stead with the title of Clement II. This act of the emperor met with the approval of the people, and they hoped that he would raise the Church out of its backsliding condition. They also freely resolved that no pope should be chosen and consecrated without the consent of the emperor.

But mark what happened. Just about the time when it seemed that the supreme power of the emperor had been established, affairs took a different turn. For some time a small party of monks had been formed, which, just as the emperor, wished to reform the Church by effective measures. However, these monks were of the opinion that, instead of awarding the supreme authority over Church and State to the German emperor, Europe should be divided into a confederation of small States, all of which should submit to the pope as their spiritual head. They wanted to make the Church free and independent of the secular power, and to strengthen her influence by forming a firm association of priestly dominion, which would have its support and representative in the pope of Rome. The headquarters of this monastic order was the convent at Cluny in Burgundy. A forceful champion of their notions was the monk, Hildebrand, who had just come to Rome with the followers of the newly chosen pope.

Hildebrand possessed the special abilities and discernment, which were necessary to make his intentions successful. In Rome he labored tirelessly to support the authority of the papal chair, and was a staunch advocate of the decree that was passed to guide papal elections, which vested in the college of cardinals the power of choosing the pope, rather than permitting such a choice to rest on the people. Not long afterward, he was unanimously elected pope, and was consecrated as Gregory VII on June 29, 1073. Gregory at once tried to strengthen the authority of the pope and began to carry out numerous ecclesiastical reforms with great rigor. He prohibited the appointment of priests by the laity, the selling of spiritual dignities, and the marriage of the priests. In this manner he endeavored to bind the clergymen more rigorously to the jurisdiction of Rome. Refusal to submit to these decrees was punishable by excommunication, and such an offender was not only excluded from the communion of the Church, but every one also had the liberty to harm and injure him. If the monarch of a certain land was disobedient to the pope, then his realm was placed under debarment by this interdict: all public religious exercises were then forbidden, no sound of bells was allowed to be heard, and the realm was open to invasion by other monarchs.

(Continued next month)

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