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Show Sk Pope and Investiture. Gregory VII and Henry IV Protestant Historians Vindicate Gregory's Conduct. i (Written for the Intermountain Catholic.) The history of the Roman pontiffs, from Peter to Leo XIII, is remarkable more for its consistency in matt -rs of faith and imra's. thai ;n any other light in which, as heads of the Church, they may be historically viewed. The most searching and rigid examination of their dogmatical teaching has failed to convict any Roman pontiff of teaching heresy. On this record, together to-gether with the promises of Christ to Peter, that "his faith would never fail," rest the claim of infallibility, which is confined to spiritual matters. The religious and civil authorities being closely united, objection is sometimes some-times raised to the part taken by the Church in the middle ages in civil government. During that period of the world's history, prelates, at the request re-quest of the civil rulers, exercised jurisdiction in civil matters, but the Holy Father, enjoying the plenitude of power, when kings and emperors violated vio-lated the constitution of their respective respec-tive governments, deposed the crowned heads. The few instances in which this power has been exercised has been severely criticised by the non-Catholic world. The power to depose rulers who have been tyrannical, tried to enslave the people and been unfaithful to th constitution, con-stitution, has been always exercised: if not in the church, at least by the state. The Scotch made war on their king and sold him to English parliament. parlia-ment. Cromwell, with the sanction and aid of the long parliament, deposed, de-posed, nay, more, tried, condemned and beheaded Charles I. Washington and his copatriots deposed George III, when, in 177S. they declared "that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and Independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown; and that all po'itical connection between be-tween them and the state of Great Britain is. and ought to be, totally dissolved." dis-solved." In this instance the sovereign was deposed, and his subjects absolved from their allegiance. The right to resist tyranny and protect pro-tect the people from being enslaved by common consent exist. If so. it must rest somewhere. During the ages now subject to much adverse criticism, criti-cism, the Roman pontiff acted as umpire. um-pire. Who could be more suitable? j The interests of the Church, which is of all nations, did with the consent of temporal rulers, make the Pope a suitable person to protect the rights of each separate nation: for having equal regard for all and for both the ruler and his subjects, his decisions would be just and impartial. In the controversy between Gregory VII and Henry IV of Germany as to thf right of investiture, Gregory was right, for he only wanted the rights and discipline of the Church maintained. main-tained. Investiture means the act of bestowing bestow-ing corporal possession of a manor, office of-fice or beniflce, accompanied by a certain cer-tain ceremonial, such as the delivery of a branch, or some official instrument instru-ment intended to designate the power or authority of the recipient. When Gregory was elected pontiff in 1073. he resolved to correct the abuses which crept into the Church. An undue influence in-fluence had been exercised, at the j time, by temporal princes in the elec- tion of Bishops. Sometimes thy made arbitrary appointments, and even claimed the right of bestowing on Bishops the insignia of their office, such as the ring and crosier. This was known in medieval times as the right of investiture. Gregory VII. realizing that through this usurpation and abuse of power, many unworthy persons per-sons were elevated to the episcopacy, commenced bis pontillcal reign by claiming for the i 'hurt-h the restoration restora-tion of its liberties in the selection of irs chief otticers. .As Cardinal lliMe-brand. lliMe-brand. be held importan: posi-ion.-s under five of his predecessors, who occupied oc-cupied til- chair of Peter. W hen selected se-lected to succeed Alexander 11 lie fully realized the difficulty and gigantic snuggle awaiting his efforts to free the Church from the evils that beset her. I Pope Gregory's contest with Henry began when the latter, ir.roxica'ed by pride, because of bis victories over the i Saxons, arrogantly refused to listen to I Gregory's remonstrances of the abuses i which existed. The king's counsellors, who had been guilty of simony, were I excommunicated. Investiture by laymen lay-men was prohibited. Henry rebelled, and the Bishops appointed by him united with him in his shameful deeds. Thosewb.o refused were deposed, and the precious stones stolen from the Church were given by the prottigate king to his concubines. In a council convoked by Ib-nry at Warms, he. with his venial and terrified appointees (Bishops) passed sentence of deposition deposi-tion on the pope. His letter to Gregory, Greg-ory, announcing the decision of the council of Warms, was addressed to "The False Monk Hildebrand." Kings being as amenable to the law of God as their humblest subjects, nothing remained for the Pope hut to exercise his spiritual authority, and at the Lenten Synod. 1076. Henry was excommunicated. ex-communicated. The excommunication carried with it the deposition of the king. and. according to the Germanic law. his incompetency to govern. Gregory, full of charity and solicitous solici-tous for the state as well as th Church, made effort to effect a reconciliation, recon-ciliation, by prevailing on the princes assembled at Tribur not to elect a new king. Henry, knowing that he could more easily make terms with Gregory than with his former princes, went, clad in a penitential garb, to Canossa in the winter of 1077. After three days' penance, Gregory (then staying at Canossa) absolved Henry. The action of the Pope, who was on'y trying to enforce thelaw and discipline of the Church, which emperors permitted per-mitted to become obsolete, is by some severely criticised. Yet he gave to Caesar his dues, and claimed for God what belonged to Him. The right of investiture was always in the Pope, and only by his sanction did emperors ever exercise it. It was given at a time of disorder, and when the good of the Church demanded it. AA'hen abuses crept in. and emperors trafficked on their delegated authority author-ity by filling sees with creatures of their own fancy and selling the investiture investi-ture for money to venial ani profligate subjects, in violation of the laws of the Church, it was the right and duty of the supreme pontiff to revoke the emperor's authorization, make null his f former power and dismiss him ns an J unworthy agent. Gregory saw the f evils existing, and if he suffered them to continue, how could he maintain the ordQr and discipline of the church and j protect the Interests of religion? What Germany thought of Gregory's f act may be learned from the fact that . no sooner was the excommunication jj mad" known than all his subjects j abandoned him. The only exception 1 was his deeply injured wife and one faithful attendant. The people $ breathed more freely when they raw their tyrannical and brutal ruler smit- ten by the sword of Peter. That Gregory had justice and right order on his side, is maintained by Leo the his- torian. a. Protestant, and Volght. a f Protestant minister, both Germans, I who have vindicated the Pope's con- 1 duct toward Henry IV. |