Charlemagne Gregorian Reforms Eastern Schism

 Islam is on the rise, Mohammad in the year 610 had a prophetic call, thought to be from the Angel Gabriel.

 At the same time the Church continued to worry about Islam, a Germanic group known as the Lombards expanded into Northern Italy  The Church sought the help of Charles Martel, king of the Franks, who had defeated the Muslims in the “Battle of Tours”.  Martel saw no reason to align himself with the Church, but his successor (son) Pepin the Short thought otherwise.

 Pepin’s relationship with Pope Zachary signaled a growing relationship between the Church and secular rulers  Pepin’s forces defeated the Lombards and returned territories taken by them  In 756, the Pope was granted his own territory in middle Italy. It became know as the Papal States and functioned as an independent country with the Pope as ruler until 1870  Pepin was Charlemagne’s father

 After Pepin’s death in 768, Charlemagne emerged as a powerful king in 771 following his brother’s brief rule. (Caroloman died unexspectantly and suddenly.)  He was a devout Christian  After defeating the Lombard’s again, the Pope gave him the title Protector of the Papacy  The Pope became increasingly dependent on Charlemagne for advice on how to run the Papal States

 Carried out military campaigns in Western Europe, often forcing the conversion of conquered people to Christianity  By 800, he created a vast Western Empire, the largest since the Roman Empire  On Christmas Day 800, he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III  This act created a lasting tension between Rome and the Eastern Empire  Charlemagne placed a high emphasis on learning and education  After his death, his empire was split up and eventually ended in 888.

 During Charlemagne’s rule and after it, secular control of Church offices became an increasing problem  Civil Rulers frequently had the final say so in the naming of bishops  In a practice condemned as the sin of simony, a rich man could even buy himself the office of bishop

 When Gregory VII became Pope in 1073, he campaigned against simony, clerical marriage, and lay investiture  Lay investiture was a practice where a high ranking secular official could appoint bishops or abbots. This “invested” the person with power and in turn required their loyalty  Gregory believed it was crucial for Church officials to be free of civil powers  There were a series of “fights” between Gregory and German emperor Henry IV over the issue  It was finally resolved in 1122 with the Concordat at Worms. The emperor agreed that only the Church could appoint bishops

 For centuries, tensions had been building between the Easter, Greek-speaking Church, and the Western, or Roman, Church  These tensions would reach their breaking point in 1054 and cause a lasting split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church  This split continues today, although dialogue about reconciliation continues

 Theological differences between East and West had been going on since the Arian heresy in the 300s  The Council of Chalcedon said the See of Constantinople should be ranked after Rome and ahead of Alexandria and Antioch. Pope Leo did not like this but went along with it. It caused centuries of disputes between those loyal to the Pope and those loyal to Constantinople

 East and West also had differing views over Church and state. The East accepted secular rule over it, but the West rejected that  The use of icons in the East came under fire and the Byzantine emperor ordered their destruction (iconoclasm). The Pope opposed this and defended the veneration of icons  Finally, there was the dispute over the filioque. The West said the Holy Spirit descended from the Father and the Son. The East believed that the Holy Spirit descended only from the Father but through the Son.

 The Pope, as successor to Peter, declared his authority over the whole Church. The Patriarch of Constantinople was having none of it and declared the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Latin rite) Churches could not be in union  Talks broke down  The Patriarch closed Roman Churches and excommunicated priests loyal to Rome  The Pope’s delegates excommunicated the Patriarch (even though they did not have the authority to do so)  So, the Patriarch excommunicated the Pope  The break was official and is know as the Eastern Schism

 In 1976, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagorus I lifted the excommunications on each other and opened dialogue between the two Churches  This dialogue continues today with the hope that one day the Catholic and Orthodox Church can be in union once again