THE P RTAL
May 2014
Page 7
The Popes
and the Ordinariate
L
ast month
we saw how the gradual decay of the Anglo-Saxon Church was halted as a Norman
elite swept into power. Now I wish to examine the relationship between Church and state, and between
the Norman monarchy and the Papacy.
In an age when the body
politic was held together by
personal ties, those between
the new king, William the
Conqueror,
and
Popes
Alexander II (1061-1073)
and Gregory VII (1073-1085)
were of great importance.
Both Popes had endorsed
the Norman take-over of
England, and both supported
the Norman ecclesial policies.
In turn, they found the kings
favourable
to
episcopal
candidates who supported the
Gregorian reforms.
Gregorian reforms
This alliance of mutual
benefits, with the monarchy
profiting from the academic
abilities of the higher clergy, and the Church from royal
patronage, had lasting consequences for the English
Church. One can trace the notion of a ‘state Church’
to this point. The King’s and the Pope’s candidate
for the See of Canterbury was the same person: the
monk, Lanfranc. The new Archbishop of Canterbury
swiftly enforced the Gregorian reforms, including a
strict implementation of clerical celibacy, and a strong
investment in the fabric of the Church.
As a Benedictine monk, Lanfranc was supportive of
the monastic reforms on the Continent. In 1077, the
Cluniac reform was introduced into England, followed
by the Cistercians. The Augustinians were present
before 1066 but expanded only after the imposition of
Norman rule. In the half-century after the Conquest,
the number of religious houses increased three-fold.
Pope or King
long struggle with the main
worldly power, the German
Emperor.
In
England,
Lanfranc simply refused to
allow the Pope precedence
over the King.
William, too, ensured that
he had full control over ‘his’
Church. Papal letters could
not be disseminated unless
approved by the crown, and
no Pope was recognised
unless the King did so and the
King kept firm control over
the appointment of bishops,
who became, in effect, feudal
agents of the crown.
The King was aware of
the potential for opposition
from the Archbishops of Canterbury, and for years
after Lanfranc’s death failed to appoint a successor.
Eventually this successor, St Anselm, proved anything
but compliant. He spent some time in exile for refusing
to allow King William II to play a role in Church affairs.
This was remarkable as many of England’s clergy,
including some bishops, supported the monarchy not
the Papacy.
St Anselm outlived William II and continued his
dispute with Henry I, who tried to convince Anselm of
the need for compromise. Anselm, with support from
Rome, simply refused to consecrate those bishops
appointed by the monarchy, which left England in
a spiritual vacuum. Eventually Rome was handed
control over the appointment of bishops, but they
remained vassals of the King for their temporal lands
and, therefore, acknowledged both temporal and
spiritual powers.
However, Lanfranc’s rule as archbishop proved
to be an ominous prelude to the struggle over who
In time, the Church would repeatedly require men of
controlled the Church in England, Pope or King. Papal such calibre as St Anselm. Remarkably, for most of the
control over the Church was one of the main planks Middle Ages, she was granted them.
of the Gregorian reform. It led the Papacy into a very
Harry Schnitker
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