| Pope Gregory VII (c. 1015-1085), formerly the monk Hildebrand, overhauled the church with sweeping reform. Like an expert swordsman, he balanced his offensive swoops with defensive graces. Canon law reform was chief among his trophies, although Gregory himself made very little contribution to the corpus of canon law. His expert leadership can be seen in the personalities with which he surrounded himself.; With all his failures, he did not leave the church unchanged. As his name Hildebrand (the burning of earthly desire) suggests, he was in fact a firebrand. Many within Christendom loved him. Gregory's pontificate signaled a concern for the poor, the spiritually hungry and the physically distant. Fashioning himself after his role model Gregory the Great, he preached penetrating sermons aimed at the destruction of the carnal life. More than most popes, he desired to see the spiritual church ascend to a position of glory. He made his claims by relying heavily on the prophetic OT Scriptures. He also used St. Peter's authority with unprecedented liberality. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
