The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-08-02
rhe Apogee of tae Papaey.

ebb. The most powerful families In
Italy contended openly, arms in hand,
for the occupation Of the pontifcal chair.
The counts of Tusculum q generally
victorious in these contests. In 1893,
this family dared to place on the papal
throne, under the name Of Benedict IL,
a young boy brought up in debauchery.
This child of 10 years Of age continued,
when Pope, in the practice of the same
scandalous vices. Desiderius, abbot Of
Casino, afterwards Pope Victor III,
writes of him "Culus Quidem post Gdep-
tim SGcerd0tium UitG guam tufpiS, guam
tGdd, quamQue erecran9G eGtter5t, hOr-
resco referee" Finally Benedict, with a
conscience loaded with adulteries, and
hands stained with homicide, sold the
papacy to a Roman ecclesiastic.
At last the Emperors of Germany,
reused to indignation by these enOrmi-
ties, used their rights as suzerains to raise
up the triplet crown from the mire, and
preserved the degraded papacy by Civ
ing it suitable chiefs. In 1916, Henry
III deposed the three rival POpes and
designated the bishop to whom St. Pc
ter's keys should be confded. -Four
Popes, all Germans, and chosen by the
Emperor, succeeded each other. When
ever the POntif of Rome died, a depu-
tation from it's church repaired to the
Imperial court, justa as the ENJOYS of other
dioceses, to solicit the nomination Of a
bishop to succeed him. The Emperors
were not sorry to see the POpes reform
ing abuses-strengthening the influence
of the Church-hOlding cOuncils-chO0s-
ing and deposing prelates in spite Of
foreign princes for in all this the papa
cy, by its pretensions, did but, thought
they, exalt the power of the reigning
Emperor, its suzerain Lord,
But this dangerous power, thus gradu-
ally acquired, might at any moment be
turned against the Emperorhimself, and
this result followed. The Papacy arose
from it's humiliation and trampled under
foot the princes of the earth. To exalt
the Papacy, was to exalt the Church, to
aggrandiZe the ascendency of religion,
to ensure to the spirit the victory over
the flesh, and to God the conquest of the
world; such were its maxims. The
whole of this new policy is persOnifed
in one man, Hildebrand.
This great historical character is the
personificatiOn of the Roman pontifcate
in its strength and glory, he included in
himself a new order of things, q perfect
change in the government Of the Chris
tan world, in the position of the Church.
Leo TX took notice of this monk as he
was going to Cluny, and carried him
with him to Rome. From that time
Hildebrand was the soul Of the Papacy,
till he himself became Pope. He had
governed the Church under different
Pontifffs, before he himself reigned TN
der the nance of Gregory VII. One grand
idea occupied his comprehensive mind
He desired to establish a visible theo-
cracy, Of which the Pope, as the vicar Of
Christ, should be the head.
To attain this, his first task was to re.
model the militia of the Church. It was
to gain strength before attacking the
Imperial authority. A council held al
Rome, and inspired by Hildebrand, de-
clared, that a married priest was NJ
priest. Bishops and priests all Ovel
Christianity vainly protested, vainlyd de,
clared that they would keep their Lawful
wives. The law of celibacy, devised
and enforced by the Popes (who wer'
themselves monks), changed the clergy
into a monastic order, and obliged then
to devote themselves undoubtedly to thu
hierarchy. Gregory VII claimed to ex
ercise over the whole body of bishop
and priests of Christendom a power
equal to that possessed by an abbot owe
the monks subjected to his rule. TIL,
legates Of the Pope passed through th,
provinces, depriving the priests of thei
wives, and Gregory himself, if necessary
excited, by the means of the monks, tn,
populace against the married priests
many of whom were atrociously treate,
by the rabble. =. .-...
Having thus redeemed the Churcl
from her feshy bonds, Gregory directed
her new-kindled fierce zeal against til
powers of the world. "God,n he said
"has placed in the heavens two grea
luminaries-the sun, and the moon whicl
borrows her light from the sun. On th
earth there is the Pope, and the Emper
or, who is the reflection Of the Pope,
pale shadow-let him recognize what h
is" Favored by the discord in German.
Gregory made common cause with som
Of the greatest vassals Of the Empire
and then proceeded to prohibit all eccle
siastics from receiving iuy6stittuTo ffror
the Emperor, under pain of excommu
nication.
He thus snapped asunder the ancien
ties which connected the several priest
and their churches with the royal au
thority; but it was that he might bin
them to the pontiical throne.
The Emperor, the fiery Henry ~
tried to vindicate the majesty of tn
Empire against the encroachments c
the Papacy; but he was finally com
PEELED to sink crushed at the Pope's fec
at Canossa. The humiliation the seen
lar power had received in him was nc
retrieved for over two centuries.
For about seven generations now W
see the Popes as the supreme rulers {