|
POPE GREGORY I
Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church
A.K.A. Saint Gregory the Great
Pope from 3 September 590 to 12 March 604 A.D.
New Catholic Encyclopedia - Page. 767
Gregory and the East. The synodical letter to the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem indicates that Gregory accepted the precedence of the sees, ranking Constantinople first. From at least the 4th century, ecclesiastical union was achieved among the sees by the acceptance of such letters, and each patriarch ruled in his own jurisdiction. Gregory continued this custom and would not directly contact the bishop of another patriarchate without going through the patriarch. However, the right of appeal over the patriarch to Rome was generally recognized, and Gregory did reverse the decision against two priests handed down at Constantinople.
Friction between Rome and Constantinople was occasioned by *John IV the Faster’s use of the title ecumenical patriarch. Pelagius II had refused to acknowledge a council held at Constantinople in 587 since it was held without his authorization and because in the acts of the council the patriarch was called ecumenical. Great import was attached to the title since the council had cited the patriarch of Antioch to appear before it. Actually, the title was not new. It had been used by the Constantinopolitan patriarchs during the *Acacian Schism (484—519) and the reign of *Justinian I (527— 565).
In 595 Gregory received an appeal from two priests condemned at Constantinople. In the acts he saw that “practically on every page the patriarch of Constantinople was designated as ecumenical.” His opposition to the term was not mere ecclesiastical sensitiveness; “in reality the prestige of the Pope in the East was involved” (Fliche-Martin 5:65). In his counterclaim he asserted the universal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome but made it clear that this should be used with humility, and he referred to himself constantly as the Servant of the Servants of God. Though not new, this title was typically Gregorian and was incorporated into the list of titles of the popes.
As Servant of the Servants of God, Gregory taught that the Apostolic See is “the head of all the churches.” It is the See of Peter “to whom was committed the care and primacy of the whole Church”; as such it is the caput fidei. Gregory asserted that “the See of Constantinople is subject to the Apostolic See,” and that there was no bishop who was not subject to the See of Rome, “which is set over all the churches.” He also recognized the fact that other churches had their own accepted territories of jurisdiction. If he defended his own rights, he was careful “to observe the rights of the different churches.” The jurisdiction of each of his brother bishops had to be safeguarded, otherwise “the ecclesiastical order is destroyed by us through whom it ought to be preserved.” Gregory further contended (and has been quoted with satisfaction by Pope Paul VI): “My honor is the honor of the universal Church. It is also the solid authority of my brothers. I am truly honored only when the honor due to each and every one of them is not denied to them.”
Gregory and the West. As Patriarch of the West, Gregory’s jurisdiction embraced the three prefectures of Italy, the two Gauls, and Eastern Illyricum. In this vast territory, his jurisdiction was complicated by the civil rule of the Byzantine exarch in Africa and by the independent kingdoms resulting from the *barbarian nations who invaded Gaul and elsewhere. He met this challenge generally by acting through the metropolitans, whom he recognized as adequate in their proper jurisdictions.
Italy and Africa. As Bishop of Rome and metropolitan of the suburban regions, Gregory had immediate ecclesiastical control of all Italy from Tuscany south. He looked to the canonical regularity of the election of bishops, who were then consecrated in Rome; he supervised their lives, championed their rights, and helped them in need. Charges against bishops were judged in Rome by the pope, usually during their annual assembly in Rome on the feast of St. Peter. The bishops from Sicily came every 3 years; aware of the difficulties of traveling such a distance, Gregory changed this to every 5 years.
The other Italian metropolitan sees were Ravenna, Milan, and *Aquileia. Aquileia called for special attention. Istrian bishops in that province were still in schism because of the condemnation of the Three Chapters. By insisting that the belief of Rome was the teaching defined at Chalcedon and that the Council of *Constantinople II did not reverse the work of Chalcedon, Gregory succeeded in winning over some of these bishops, but the schism ‘was finally healed only after his death.
In his dealings with Africa Gregory acceded to the request of the bishops of Numidia that their local customs be maintained, and insisted only that no convert from *Donatism be made primate. Regarding ecclesiastical privileges, he informed Donatus of Carthage that the pope not only defends his own rights but respects those of others. His aim was “to honor my brothers” and “to maintain the honor of each one, provided there is no conflict.” Letters to Africa were frequent and called for episcopal vigilance, the holding of councils, and the help of civil and church leaders in curbing the troublesome Donatists.
Spain, Gaul, and England. To Gregory, the conversion of the Arian Visigoths in 589 was “a great miracle.” Relations with Spain had been delicate because of Visigothic nationalism and the token of Byzantine power in the south. But with St. Leander as bishop of Seville, Gregory found the Church in Spain in good hands. A request from Gaul in 593 to restore the papal vicariate at Arles was well received by Gregory, who “was glad of the opportunity to extend his influence in the kingdom of the Franks, and too clever not to profit by it” (Batiffol, 203). The *Merovingians had split the kingdom into separate units, and each ruler looked upon the Church as “his church.”
In restoring the vicariate, Gregory linked the Church in Gaul with Rome and the Church universal. Numerous letters were sent to the vicar, bishops, and rulers denouncing simony, lay interference, and ordinations of laymen without the proper preparation. Gregory called for a council to carry out Christian renewal. The council, held in 614, 10 years after his death, reflected Gregory’s program for reform and peace, even though the Merovingians kept their hold over the episcopate of each kingdom.
The mission to the Anglo-Saxons was inaugurated when Gregory discovered that these invaders had not been evangelized by the native clergy of Britain. Stirred to action, he decided to use monasticism in furthering the missionary projects of the papacy. From his monastery of St. Andrew he sent St. *Augustine of Canterbury and 40 monks to carry out his project. The work began in 597 and was helped by Bertha, the Catholic wife of King Ethelbert and a descendant of Clovis. In time, Celtic monks from *Iona joined in the evangelization being carried on by the Benedictine monks from Rome, and the Byzantine Theodore of Tarsus was sent from Rome in 668 to reorganize the mission.
FORUM PRESENTATIONS
HOME
E-MAIL:  Editor
Books and Religious Gift Items
Document provided as a service of:
LIFE ENTERPRISES UNLIMITED
(A 501-c-3 Non-Profit Organization)
P. O. Box 850307
Mobile, AL 36685
U. S. A.
|