Who Were the Last Orthodox Popes of the 11th Century?

[haralampopoulosjc]

The Patriarch of Constantinople dropped Rome from the diptychs in 1014, after Pope Benedict VIII used the filioque in the Creed at the coronation of Holy Emperor Henry II. While the popes of the early 11th century, leading up to the schism, were innovating by using the filioque, I would argue that they still weren't properly heretical, since they received the imperial mandate for their elevation to the Papacy from the Holy Roman Emperor.

Orthodox Papacy:

Pope Leo IX r. 1049-1054 (Received the imperial mandate, and wasn't properly responsible for the Papal Bull issued by Cardinal Humbert and his legates, since it was done without his knowledge. Patriarch Michael Celarius didn't hold Leo IX responsible for Humbert's actions.)

Pope Victor II r. 1055-1057 (Received the imperial mandate, so still an Orthodox Pope)

Pope Honorius II AKA Cadalus of Parma r. 1061-1072 (Elected by Emperor Henry IV, he was recognized as pope by the envoys of the eastern Emperor, Constantine X Doukas)

Pope Saint Clement III AKA Wibert of Ravenna r. 1080-1100 (Supported Pope Honorius II and was an imperial chancellor of Henry IV. Likely participated in the Synod of Worms in 1076, which excommunicated and deposed Hildebrand, AKA Gregory VII. Gregory excommunicated Guibert by name at the Lenten Synod of February 1078. Participated in the Synod of Brixen in 1080, which again deposed Gregory VII, and was subsequently elected Pope by Henry IV. Henry recognized Guibert as pope, swearing that he would lead him to Rome, and there receive from his hands the imperial crown. In 1081, he marched on Rome, but failed to force his way into the city, which he finally accomplished only in 1084. Henry entered Rome on 21 March 1084 and succeeded in gaining possession of the greater part of the city. Gregory took refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo. On 24 March, Guibert was enthroned as pope in the church of St. John Lateran as Clement III, and on 31 March, he crowned Henry IV as Emperor at St. Peter's. After his death and burial at Civita Castellana in 1100, he was celebrated locally as a miracle-working saint, but Paschal II and the anti-imperial party soon subjected him to damnatio memoriae, which included the exhuming and dumping of his remains in the Tiber)

These were the last Orthodox Popes of the 11th century, and if God-willing, an Orthodox Pope is ever elected in the future, they should be commemorated in the diptychs.

[BenjaminMcCraw]

What are your thoughts on the four antipopes that followed St. Clement III? The first two are just as Orthodox in my opinion, though the last two have problems.

Theodoric was an antipope in 1100 and 1101, in the schism that began with Wibert of Ravenna in 1080, in opposition to the excesses of Pope Gregory VII and in support of the Emperor Henry IV. The earliest record of Theodoric is his signature on a document of the antipope Clement III (Wibert) dated 4 November 1084, where he signs as cardinal deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata. In a letter of 29 July 1099, Clement III refers to Theoderic as one of those cardinals who anathematized Gregory VII (who died on 25 May 1085) as a heretic and simoniac. According to the "Annales Romani", the followers of Clement met secretly in Rome, at night, in St. Peter's Basilica, where they elected and enthroned Cardinal Theodoric, the Bishop of Albano, who may have assumed the name Sylvester III. But he did not dare to remain in the city. Forced to abandon Rome to seek protection of the emperor, Theodoric was seized by partisans of Pope Paschal II, and sent to Rome. He was convicted by judgment of the fathers, and immediately sent to the monastery of Santissima Trinità di Cava, near Salerno, where he was compelled to become a monk. He died at Cava in 1102, according to the epitaph in the crypt of the monastery. A later memorial plaque in La Cava commemorates him under the pontifical name of "Sylvester III"

Adalbert (or Albert) was elected pope of the Catholic Church in February 1101 and served for 105 days. He was a candidate of the Roman party opposed to Pope Paschal II and is regarded today as an antipope. Prior to his election he was created a cardinal by the antipope Clement III. Adalbert's first public appearance drew a large crowd and rapidly degenerated into unrest. The situation eventually got so bad that he was forced to take refuge in the basilica of San Marcello al Corso under the protection of Romano and Giovanni Oddoline. Many clergy who tried to reach the church were beaten and stripped naked by the mob. Paschal II then bribed Giovanni to hand the antipope over. Adalbert was stripped of his pallium and handed over to Paschal's forces. His pontificate had lasted 105 days. He was led behind a horse (as a sign of contempt) to the Lateran Palace, where Paschal was residing. He was then imprisoned in a tower. The Annales Romani and the biography of Paschal in the Liber pontificalis agree that the acceptance of the bribe and the antipope's imprisonment took place in the space of one day. Adalbert was eventually sent to the Benedictine monastery of San Lorenzo in Aversa, where he spent the rest of his life. The date of his death and the place of burial are not known.

Sylvester IV, born Maginulf, was a claimant to the Papacy from 1105 to 1111 in opposition to Paschal II. A priest before his election, he was probably a native of Rome. Though he had no connections to the previous followers of Clement III, He did have the backing of the Roman militia and initially of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. Henry later used him as a pawn in his negotiations with Paschal. Henry, who wanted Paschal to crown him emperor, forced Sylvester to renounce the Papacy on 12 or 13 April 1111.

Gregory VIII (died 1137), born Mauritius Burdinus (Maurice Bourdin), was antipope from 10 March 1118 until 22 April 1121. He was born in the Limousin, part of Occitania, France. He was educated at Cluny, at Limoges, and in Castile, where he was a deacon at Toledo. In 1098/1099 his Cluniac connections recommended him as Bishop of Coimbra. After a four-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he was made Archbishop of Braga in 1109. There he was one of the principal agents of the Burgundian Henry, Count of Portugal, in his reorganization of the Portuguese church. Portugal was then a fief of León, and the ambitious Count Henry pursued a vigorous program of ecclesiastical and political autonomy. By 1114, Mauritius had become embroiled in a dispute with the Spanish primate and papal legate in Castile, Bernard of Toledo, to the extent that he was called to Rome and suspended by Pope Paschal II (1099–1118). Nevertheless, he found favor at the papal court, and in 1116, when Emperor Henry V (1105–1125) invaded Italy during the ongoing confrontations over the Emperor's rights of investiture of clerics, Paschal II sent Mauritius with some cardinals on an embassy to the emperor, while the Pope and the Curia fled south to Benevento. Mauritius openly espoused the cause of Henry, and defected to the Emperor's side. Henry V went to Rome, and on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1117, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Mauritius. Paschal II deposed and excommunicated Henry V and removed Mauritius from office. In March 1118 three cardinals created by Antipope Clement III (1080/84-1100) joined his obedience and formed his own Sacred College:

Romanus — cardinal-priest of San Marco and provost of the titular church of San Marcello

Cinthius — cardinal-priest of San Crisogono

Teuzo — cardinal-priest, former legate of Clement III in Hungary

When Paschal II died on 24 January 1118, he was succeeded by Pope Gelasius II (1118–19). Henry V went to Rome but Gelasius II escaped to Gaeta and refused to meet the Emperor to discuss German affairs. Partly in reprisal the imperial party among the cardinals then annulled Gelasius II's election, and on March 1, 1118 Mauritius was proclaimed Pope, taking the name Gregory VIII. Gelasius II, at Capua, proceeded to excommunicate both Gregory VIII and Henry V on April 7, 1118. After Gelasius II's death, when Calixtus II had been elected Pope in 1119, Henry V was induced to change papal allegiance, in the Concordat of Worms of 1122. Calixtus II entered Rome, and Gregory VIII left, going to Sutri, where he was in April 1121, when papal troops of Calixtus II closed up the city for eight days until its citizens surrendered antipope Gregory VIII. He was taken to Rome and imprisoned in the Septizonium. After having been moved in confinement from monastery to monastery, he finally died at La Cava, Salerno, some time after August 1137.

[haralampopoulosjc]

What are your thoughts on the four antipopes that followed St. Clement III? The first two are just as Orthodox in my opinion, though the last two have problems.

Theodoric was an antipope in 1100 and 1101, in the schism that began with Wibert of Ravenna in 1080, in opposition to the excesses of Pope Gregory VII and in support of the Emperor Henry IV. The earliest record of Theodoric is his signature on a document of the antipope Clement III (Wibert) dated 4 November 1084, where he signs as cardinal deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata. In a letter of 29 July 1099, Clement III refers to Theoderic as one of those cardinals who anathematized Gregory VII (who died on 25 May 1085) as a heretic and simoniac. According to the "Annales Romani", the followers of Clement met secretly in Rome, at night, in St. Peter's Basilica, where they elected and enthroned Cardinal Theodoric, the Bishop of Albano, who may have assumed the name Sylvester III. But he did not dare to remain in the city. Forced to abandon Rome to seek protection of the emperor, Theodoric was seized by partisans of Pope Paschal II, and sent to Rome. He was convicted by judgment of the fathers, and immediately sent to the monastery of Santissima Trinità di Cava, near Salerno, where he was compelled to become a monk. He died at Cava in 1102, according to the epitaph in the crypt of the monastery. A later memorial plaque in La Cava commemorates him under the pontifical name of "Sylvester III"

Adalbert (or Albert) was elected pope of the Catholic Church in February 1101 and served for 105 days. He was a candidate of the Roman party opposed to Pope Paschal II and is regarded today as an antipope. Prior to his election he was created a cardinal by the antipope Clement III. Adalbert's first public appearance drew a large crowd and rapidly degenerated into unrest. The situation eventually got so bad that he was forced to take refuge in the basilica of San Marcello al Corso under the protection of Romano and Giovanni Oddoline. Many clergy who tried to reach the church were beaten and stripped naked by the mob. Paschal II then bribed Giovanni to hand the antipope over. Adalbert was stripped of his pallium and handed over to Paschal's forces. His pontificate had lasted 105 days. He was led behind a horse (as a sign of contempt) to the Lateran Palace, where Paschal was residing. He was then imprisoned in a tower. The Annales Romani and the biography of Paschal in the Liber pontificalis agree that the acceptance of the bribe and the antipope's imprisonment took place in the space of one day. Adalbert was eventually sent to the Benedictine monastery of San Lorenzo in Aversa, where he spent the rest of his life. The date of his death and the place of burial are not known.

Sylvester IV, born Maginulf, was a claimant to the Papacy from 1105 to 1111 in opposition to Paschal II. A priest before his election, he was probably a native of Rome. Though he had no connections to the previous followers of Clement III, He did have the backing of the Roman militia and initially of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. Henry later used him as a pawn in his negotiations with Paschal. Henry, who wanted Paschal to crown him emperor, forced Sylvester to renounce the Papacy on 12 or 13 April 1111.

Gregory VIII (died 1137), born Mauritius Burdinus (Maurice Bourdin), was antipope from 10 March 1118 until 22 April 1121. He was born in the Limousin, part of Occitania, France. He was educated at Cluny, at Limoges, and in Castile, where he was a deacon at Toledo. In 1098/1099 his Cluniac connections recommended him as Bishop of Coimbra. After a four-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he was made Archbishop of Braga in 1109. There he was one of the principal agents of the Burgundian Henry, Count of Portugal, in his reorganization of the Portuguese church. Portugal was then a fief of León, and the ambitious Count Henry pursued a vigorous program of ecclesiastical and political autonomy. By 1114, Mauritius had become embroiled in a dispute with the Spanish primate and papal legate in Castile, Bernard of Toledo, to the extent that he was called to Rome and suspended by Pope Paschal II (1099–1118). Nevertheless, he found favor at the papal court, and in 1116, when Emperor Henry V (1105–1125) invaded Italy during the ongoing confrontations over the Emperor's rights of investiture of clerics, Paschal II sent Mauritius with some cardinals on an embassy to the emperor, while the Pope and the Curia fled south to Benevento. Mauritius openly espoused the cause of Henry, and defected to the Emperor's side. Henry V went to Rome, and on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1117, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Mauritius. Paschal II deposed and excommunicated Henry V and removed Mauritius from office. In March 1118 three cardinals created by Antipope Clement III (1080/84-1100) joined his obedience and formed his own Sacred College:

Romanus — cardinal-priest of San Marco and provost of the titular church of San Marcello

Cinthius — cardinal-priest of San Crisogono

Teuzo — cardinal-priest, former legate of Clement III in Hungary

When Paschal II died on 24 January 1118, he was succeeded by Pope Gelasius II (1118–19). Henry V went to Rome but Gelasius II escaped to Gaeta and refused to meet the Emperor to discuss German affairs. Partly in reprisal the imperial party among the cardinals then annulled Gelasius II's election, and on March 1, 1118 Mauritius was proclaimed Pope, taking the name Gregory VIII. Gelasius II, at Capua, proceeded to excommunicate both Gregory VIII and Henry V on April 7, 1118. After Gelasius II's death, when Calixtus II had been elected Pope in 1119, Henry V was induced to change papal allegiance, in the Concordat of Worms of 1122. Calixtus II entered Rome, and Gregory VIII left, going to Sutri, where he was in April 1121, when papal troops of Calixtus II closed up the city for eight days until its citizens surrendered antipope Gregory VIII. He was taken to Rome and imprisoned in the Septizonium. After having been moved in confinement from monastery to monastery, he finally died at La Cava, Salerno, some time after August 1137.

I agree that Theodoric and Adalbert were Orthodox Popes. Pope Sylvester IV, who supported Henry IV and was unfairly cast aside by his son Henry V, can also be considered an Orthodox Pope.

Gregory VIII is a little more complicated. He was educated at Cluny, which was both a source of good and bad at the time of the Investiture Controversy. Given that the Abbot Hugh of Cluny (r. 1049-1109) was a partisan of Hildebrand during the Investiture Controversy, that's a strike against him. He most likely received his episcopacy from Hildebrandian bishops. It appears that he did assist Count Henry of Portugal in implementing ecclesiastical reforms in the reconquered territory, where he served as the Bishop of Braga. However, he formed a rivalry with the Hildebrandian Bishop Bernard of Toledo, probably over who had primacy over the new territory of Portugal. The fact that he formed his own Sacred College with cardinals appointed by Clement III is a big plus, though, since they were definitely Orthodox bishops. In conclusion, Pope Gregory VIII may have been an Orthodox bishop, and he was unfairly cast aside by Henry V. He may have supported the Gregorian reforms initially but when he saw that the Hildebrandians were encroaching upon his own diocese, it seems like he repented of his views and supported the right of the Holy Roman Emperor to invest clerics, and opposed the idea that the Pope had the right to intervene in the diocese of other bishops.