Pope St. Gregory VII
[Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Emperor Henry IV]
One of the three saints who we can honor in Mass today is St. Gregory VII, Pope. He was born in Tuscany, in 1028 and was named Hildebrand. He went to Rome for study, and there entered a monastery. His keen intellect and holiness of life brought him to the attention of several popes, who used him on several occasions to be an emissary. Finally he was elected to the seat of St. Peter. He died in exile in 1085.
Given some of the controversies concerning Catholic politicians today, we would do well to learn from St. Gregory VII, ask him for his prayers, and model his courage and holiness. As Pope, Gregory spoke out strongly condemning simony, clerical marriage, and lay investiture. The latter was a movement, which pops up from time to time, which called for the members of the laity in a given area to elect their own bishops and pastors. The Emperor at the time, Henry IV, directly challenged Pope Gregory VII’s authority to teach in matters of faith and morals, and Pope Gregory excommunicated him for his disobedience. The painting above (sorry, I do not know who painted it) shows Emperor Henry IV doing penance before Pope Gregory VII, so to be received back into the full communion. Unfortunately Henry’s repentance was short lived; he later sent Pope Gregory into exile, where he died.
When politicians think that the Pope should not speak out against grave injustice and immorality, because it has “political” implications, they are making themselves just like Henry IV. We need courageous bishops, and a Pope, who will tell them that they must live their Catholic faith at all times and in all circumstances. You can NOT be “personally opposed to abortion, but still vote for it.” To cooperate in grave moral evil, directly and willingly, means that you have separated yourself from communion with the Church, and thus you are not to receive Holy Communion. When the then Archbishop of New Orleans excommunicated a Catholic politician who opposed civil rights, and supported segregation, back in the 1950s, the Archbishop was rightly hailed for his courage.
Today, if Catholic politicians who support abortion-rights, embryonic stem cell research, and homosexual “marriage” will not on their own recognize the grave separation between them and the Church’s moral teaching, and exclude themselves from the reception of Holy Communion, then bishops need to take the painful, strong action of excommunicating them. This will be a witness to courageous truth — the truth of Jesus Christ.
