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Pope Gregory VII: A Church Reformer

Pope Gregory VIIPope Gregory VII: A Church Reformer

By Katie Gray

Western Oregon University Senior Seminar Thesis, June 14 (2006)

Introduction: By the time that Hildebrand was appointed Pope Gregory VII, the Church was in dire need of change and direction. The monastery had become a religious centre for the ignorant and frequently barbaric inhabitant of the surrounding countryside serving, through an increasingly elaborate liturgy, as the intercessory for lay society with the Savior and the saints favoured in the local area. His biggest accomplishment was to bring an end to lay investiture, but was this change really to better the Church. Through research I hope to find what led Gregory to make these changes and if they were in his jurisdiction to make.

When examining Gregory’s pontificate, the most important policy of Gregory’s was his desire to ending lay investiture. The most important document that was written by Gregory came in 1075 and is known as the Dictatus Papae which is compilation of 27 axiomatic statements of powers arrogated to the Pope. Another element of Gregory’s pontificate that stands out it is the Investiture Controversy that occurred in 1077. This controversy had involved both Gregory and King Henry IV of Germany.

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Gregory had been greatly influenced through life and he would take these influences and apply them to how he handled everything that came to him as Pope. I am going to be examining these influences and hope to get a better understanding on why he made the decisions that he did and if the Church was truly better when he passed away.

Click here to read this thesis from Western Oregon University

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