Essay Medieval Europe - Papal Reformation - 1631 Words

Since the Council of Nicaea called in the fourth century by Constantine to the early eleventh century, the Church was never established as a free standing institution. For over eight hundred years the Church had been under the authority of secular powers. Charlemagne and the Carolingians emperors saw themselves as the ones to maintain the Church materially, organizationally, and spiritually, while the pope was only an example of ideal Christian living. Social deterioration led to the corruption of the Church and its offices; simony being the biggest problem. The papacy itself was corrupted by simony and Roman politics. While reform had been taking place in the local levels for some time, the papacy was the last part of the Church to be†¦show more content†¦The next pope to further the papal reformation was Nicholas II. Pope Nicholas II built upon what Leo IX had already done. Nicholas and a council produced the Lateran synod of April 1059. The synod ended clerical marriage a nd established clergy celibacy. It also added to the strict prevention of simony. Also with the synod, Nicholas and the council made two major decisions that would shape the papacy up until today. The first of these decisions was to condemn the practice of lay investiture. â€Å"The ritual by which a lay prince â€Å"invested† a priest or bishop with the insignia of his office suggested that the ecclesiastical authority was subordinate to the secular† (Backman, 270). The papacy now condemned this seeing as the reforming popes were trying to establish the Church as an entity on its own. The Church wanted to control everything about itself and completely cut off any secular ties trying to control it. The second major decision Nicholas and the council made was mad in the Papal Election Decree of 1059. This was to ensure no pope could ever be placed in power by a secular ruler but only elected by the College of Cardinals. Backman describes it as this: †¦for all eternity the only way for any individual to become the legitimate pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church was to be freely elected to the position by the College of Cardinals. This decree removed the Holy See from the clutched of the Roman magnates, but it alsoShow MoreRelated Reformation in continental Europe and England and its consequences1616 Words   |  7 Pages Reformation is the religious revolution that took place in Western Europe in the 16th century. It arose from objections to doctrines and practices in the medieval church, loss of papal authority and credibility as well as other societal, political and economical issues of the time. This revolution had a major impact on Europe and it gave way to short term and long-term consequences, which still can be seen today. 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