In this situation of dependency on powerful neighbors in France, three principles characterized the politics of Clement V: the suppression of heretic movements (such as the Cathars in southern France); the reorganization of the internal administration of the church; and the preservation of an untainted image of the church as the sole instrument of God's will on earth.
Dalam situasi ketergantungan terhadap tetangga-tetangga yang berkuasa di Prancis, tiga prinsip utama menjadi strategi politis Paus Klemens V: penindasan terhadap gerakan-gerakan sesat (seperti aliran Kathar di Prancis bagian selatan); reorganisasi administrasi internal gereja; dan usaha-usaha pelestarian citra gereja sebagai alat tunggal Tuhan di bumi.