Pope
Gregory VII was born Hildebrand in Tuscany, Italy. Little else is known
of his early life. Hailed, historically, as one of the greatest of the
Church's pontiffs and one of the most remarkable men of all time, his
name, Hildebrand, meant “bright flame”. Those who hated him, which were
many, interpreted the name as “brand of Hell”.
Hildebrand was a
Benedictine monk, for a time living in Cluny, from whence he certainly
gleaned the monastery’s ideal of societal reform.
As a cleric, he
became chaplain to Pope Gregory VI, and a few years later, under Leo IX
was made Cardinal Deacon. A man of outstanding energy and insight,
Hildebrand became a power in Rome. It is greatly due to him that the
practice of electing popes through a college of cardinals was
established.
In 1073 at the death of Alexander II, the people of
Rome cried out for the holy genius who had helped steer the Church for
twenty years, “Hildebrand for Pope! Holy Peter wants Hildebrand, the
Archdeacon!” Once before the holy monk had eluded the tiara but this
time a proper college of cardinals, seconding the popular cry, induced
him to accept an honor duly his.
Hildebrand assumed the name
Gregory VII, and threw his energy and zeal into a continued reform,
especially fighting simony (the sale of ecclesiastical posts) and
clerical incontinence.
He
confronted Emperor Henry IV head- on about his practice of choosing men
for ecclesiastical positions. On meeting with dogged resistance, the
pontiff finally had recourse to excommunication which drastically
curtailed the proud monarch’s power, ultimately bringing Henry on foot
to the Pope at the Castle of Canossa. Because of Henry’s rebellious
obstinacy, Pope Gregory saw fit to leave him out in the cold for three
days before receiving and reinstating the royal penitent.
But
Henry failed to make any true personal reform and alienated his princes
who elected another ruler. Still, he later rallied and went as far as
electing another Pope, a Clement III, calling down upon himself another
sentence of excommunication. He also attacked and entered the Eternal
City in 1084, which forced Pope Gregory into exile. Henry had his
protégée “pope” crown him Emperor. Ultimately repelled by an army
fighting for the true pope, the Emperor Henry left Rome, but
complications sent Gregory VII again into exile, this time to die.
His
last words before his death were a summary of how he had lived, “I have
loved justice and hated iniquity, therefore I die in exile.”
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Pope St. Gregory VII
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment