Dr. Couch, when did Roman Catholicism actually begin?
As the decades that followed the apostolic period, the hierarchy of the
church became more and more centralized and strong. The bishop of Rome
became dominate as the leader of all the churches. This happened
gradually until finally the idea of a bishop was that he became a
“general” who was over the pastors of the little regional churches.
Gregory (590-604) and Nicholas I (858-867) are
two early popes who began the centralization process. But it was Gregory
VII (circa. 1000 AD) who left no shadow of a doubt about his opinion of
the complete subordination of the European kings to papal authority. He
argued that the power of absolving from sins belonged to the priesthood
in each country and that the kings could not receive absolution without
the authority from Rome.
Thus, all the kings, princes, and the people,
were dependent on the pope, both from the spiritual and the temporal
position. At a council in Rome in 1080, this principle was given a full
sweeping application. All the nations were to be subservient to the pope
and to Rome. Gregory saw himself maintaining a sovereign theocratic
control over all of Christendom through his ambassadors. He held to a
strict accountability virtually present in all walks of life over the
kingdoms of Europe.
Gregory carried out three reforms that solidified
Catholicism over kingdoms. (1) He enforced celibacy over the clergy.
This brought on terrible immorality among the priesthood. Many priests
kept mistresses who had abortions. While many of the common people knew
this, the Church tried to cover up such scandals. (2) He uprooted
simony, i.e. the appointment of priests and bishops by the kings of the
various countries. Now they would be appointed directly by the pope.
This took the so-called “spiritual” control of the churches out of the
hands of the kings. (3) He stopped all control of the temporal powers
over the priests and the churches in their own countries. The lands the
Church owned belonged to the priests and to the Church in Rome.
Many believe that the absoluteness of the Church
was now made firm with the efforts of Gregory VII. And this control
carried itself all the way into the period of the Reformation.
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
