Gregory's Great Monastery
In his exchanges with King Henry IV during the later eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII proclaimed that he held the authority to remove the mighty King from the throne of the Roman Empire. Pope Gregory VII, having already excommunicated the King from the Church for various crimes against it, believed it was his religious duty to instill a Christian ruler who was loyal to the Church to govern the predominately Christian society. Pope Gregory VII argued that it was the power Christ gave to St. Peter that allowed him to possess such impressive authority, as he was a successor to St. Peter. St. Benedict of Nursia wrote his Rule for Monasteries nearly 600 years before the conflict between King Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII erupted. Within Benedict's Rule is his ideal structure for people living in Christian communities known as monasteries. When St. Benedict wrote his Rule for Monasteries the Christian Church had nowhere near the unity it possessed during the reign of Pope Gregory VII. It was the unity experienced by Pope Gregory VII that allows us to examine the entire Roman Empire as a "monastery." St. Benedict would have been pleased to see such a unified church, operating under the decree of a single man, which still held th
The Abbot and the Pope both led the men that follow them to salvation, sometimes through punishing those who misunderstood their instructions. "Why do they not see, or rather confess with shame that, when God gave to Peter heaven and on earth he excepted no one, withheld no one from his power?" (Pope Gregory VII 587). "But if even then he does not reform, let him be placed under excommunication, provided that he understands the seriousness of that penalty (Benedict 171). After making known the faults of King Henry IV to a large part of the community at this synod, Pope Gregory VII proceeded to excommunicate the King, following very nearly the sequence of action taken by Abbots. The faults of King Henry IV were too great for Pope Gregory VII to overlook. One way for the Abbot to ensure that his men were living a proper Christian life was to reprimand those who did not obey his instructions, which is exactly what Pope Gregory VII did to King Henry IV. Simply through making contact with men who have already been excommunicated from the Church, King Henry IV violates what Saint Benedict believes is a serious offense, punishable by excommunication. The Abbot maintained order in the monastery by removing the men who are disruptive to the goals of the brethren. As the bishop of Rome, Pope Gregory VII felt he must assume these duties and serve as the leader to both ecclesiastic and non-ecclesiastic men of the Church. Let him not love one more than another, unless it be one whom he finds better in good works or in obedience" (Benedict 160). If King Henry IV were a humble, God fearing servant of Christ, he would have acted according to the wishes of Pope Gregory VII. Benedict called for the monastery to be led by a man who was to be referred to as Abbot. Saint Benedict believed that the Abbot must have maintained order throughout the monastery by ensuring the Abbot's rule was the ultimate rule. This authority of the Pope was essential to maintaining a unified Church.
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