Gregorian Reform

The Gregorian Reforms were a series of important changes that happened between about 1050 and 1080. These reforms were started by Pope Gregory VII and a group of people who helped him in the papal curia. Their main goal was to improve the behavior and independence of the clergy, who were leaders in the Christian church.

Although the reforms are called the "Gregorian Reforms" after Pope Gregory VII, he said this was not true. He said his reforms, and his choice of the name Gregory for his rule, were meant to honor an earlier pope named Pope Gregory I. These reforms helped shape the way the church operated and stayed important for many years.

Overview

Main articles: History of the papacy (1048–1257) and Papal selection before 1059

The Gregorian Reform was a series of changes to improve the Catholic Church during the time of Pope Gregory VII. The goal was to help the church be more independent. The reforms tried to stop church leaders from being controlled by kings and emperors. They also aimed to end bad practices, like giving church jobs to people who paid for them, and stopping rulers from controlling church money. These changes helped the church focus better on its spiritual duties. The reforms started around 1050 and lasted until about 1080.

Documents

The Gregorian Reforms were written about in two important papers: the Dictatus papae and the bull Libertas ecclesiae. These changes used groups of canon law to help the pope's power. One new job in the church because of these changes was the papal legist. We see this job later in the work of Pope Innocent III.

The changes tried to stop bad habits like simony, which was selling church jobs. They also tried to keep the church separate from control by rulers. A big meeting happened in November 1078 in Rome. At this meeting, Pope Gregory VII made rules against these bad habits. He also said no to lay investiture, which was when leaders who were not priests gave out church jobs. These steps made the pope stronger, not just in church work but also with rulers. The changes were backed up by a rule from Pope Nicholas II called In Nomine Domini. They were also talked about again later during the Investiture Controversy.

Central status of the church

Before the Gregorian Reforms, the Catholic Church was not very organized, and the pope did not have much power beyond Rome. Pope Gregory VII wanted to change this. He believed the church was very important and should have more control.

Gregory VII worked hard to make the church stronger and more united. He thought the church should be above all other rulers and that the pope was very important in guiding people. This led to many disagreements with bishops who wanted to keep their independence.

Clerical celibacy

Pope Gregory VII believed that priests should not be married. He did not create this rule, but he worked very hard to make sure everyone followed it. In 1074, he sent a letter saying people did not need to listen to bishops who allowed married priests. The next year, he told people to act against married priests and took away their money. His efforts to stop priests from being married met with strong opposition from many people.

Main article: celibacy among the clergy

Gregorian Reform