538-1798:
1260 YEARS OF PAPAL FAILURES
POPES BETWEEN 538 AND 1798 WERE NOT THE LITTLE HORN OF DANIEL
7:21-25
Seventh-day
Adventists seriously distort history by convincing others that they have the
correct interpretation of the 3 ½ times, 42 months and 1260 days of prophecy
found in both Daniel and Revelation. They then proceed to explain their own
1844 existence and subsequent events based on their “correct” understanding of
prophecy. The cornerstone of their prophecy is the 538-1798 “wearing out of the
saints” from Daniel 7:25. This list of the failures of the popes during that
period destroys the SDA prophetic foundation.
The
following list covers all 190 popes from 538 to 1798. Take time to read it; if
nothing else, it will amaze you that anything was accomplished while the popes
were busy evading one ruler after another. Research and check it out for
yourself. These are the things not ordinarily told about the popes. Their
failures, fears and weaknesses will keep you convincing yourself and saying
“This cannot be the little horn of Daniel 7:21-22 which “made war with the
saints and prevailed against them until the Ancient of days came, and judgment
was given to the saints of the most High and the time came that the saints
possessed the kingdom.”
1. 537-555: [one of worst, LP] Vigilius was
unpopular. Rome was besieged by Ostrogoths in 546, 549-550. He was arrested
twice, beaten, excommunicated (by the East), fled and hid.
2. 556-561: [East] Pellagius I was chosen by
Emperor Justinian without an election but was rejected by the citizens of Rome.
3. 561-574: John III fled Rome before a Lombards
siege.
4. 575-579:
Benedict I died during the Lombard siege with famine in Rome.
5. 579-590:
Pelagius II was elected during another Lombard siege of Rome. He failed to
regain most churches in northern Italy and died from a plague.
GREGORY THE GREAT: The Rest of the Story
6. 590-604:
[Only “Outstanding” from 538 to 1798, LP] Gregory I was only “Great” because of
his writings. He never left Rome. It began during a Lombard siege (during which
he paid bribesd
to stop) and ended in another Lombard siege with famine. The people finally
turned against him.
[604-741:
The Eastern Empire in Constantinople had veto control of the papacy and the
Lombards ruled southern Italy.]]
7. 604-606:
[one of the worst, LP] Sabinian was hated by the citizens of
Rome because he sold food for profit during a Lombard siege.
8. 608-615:
Boniface IV’s reign was filled with famines, plagues and natural disasters.
9. 619-625:
Boniface V was a good pope.
10. 625-638:
Honorius I was later condemned by an ecumenical council for heresy.
11. 640:
Severinus’ own Eastern Empire imperial guards from
the Eastern Empire plundered his treasury.
12. 640-642:
John IV sent money to ransom hostages.
13. 642-649:
Theodore I traded excommunications with the patriarch of Constantinople. His
representative there was exiled.
14. 649-654:
Martin I infuriated the East by being consecrated without its approval. He was
deposed, beaten and died in exileby.
15. 654-657:
Eugenius I angered the Roman citizens people over
doctrine.
16. 657-672:
Vitalian was a weak compromise pope accepted by East and West because he was
neutral on a doctrinal dispute. The Eastern emperor made Ravenna in Italy
independent of papal influence.
17. 672-676:
Adeodatus II angered Constantinople by opposing its doctrine of
monothelitism.
18. 676-678:
Donus temporarily restored power over
Catholic churches in Eastern-controlled Ravenna, Italy with investiture
(authority to appoint bishops).
19. 678-681:
[East] Agatho was the 1st of 7 popes from the Eastern Empire territory. The pope
died during an epidemic.
20. 682-683:
[East] Leo II was powerless as the Eastern Emperor
lowered taxes paid to his papacy from papal territories.
21. 684-685:
[East] Benedict II did nothing as the independent Visigoth Catholic Church in
Spain protested papal attempts to change its doctrine.
22. 685-686:
[East] John V accomplished nothing noteworthy.
23. 686-687:
[East] Conon was powerless as his own Roman militia prevented free elections.
24. 687-701:
[East] Sergius I was one of two opposing popes elected by Roman clergy. His
reign was a very tumultuous 4 years.
[687:
Antipope Pascal
[687:
Antipope Theodore]
25. 701-705:
[East] John VI spent large sums ransoming prisoners.
26. 705-707:
[East] John VII was the layman son of an Eastern imperial officer.
27. 708:
Sisinnius served 20 days and died of gout.
28. 708-715:
Pope Constanine failed to reunite West
and East. Roman citizens rebelled with bloody street battles. Muslims conquered
northern Africa and the Spanish peninsula (for 9 centuries).
The papacy was too weak to stop the advance of Islam.
LOMBARDS AND THE EASTERN EMPIRE
29. 715-731:
Gregory II rebelled against the East over iconoclasm resulting in both the
Lombards and Eastern imperial armies joining to besiege Rome. He died in
disfavor.
30. 731-741:
Gregory III experienced a Lombard siege of Rome.
31. 741-752:
[East] Zacharius was the 9th pope from Eastern Empire and the last
pope to notify the Eastern Emperor of his election.
Therefore,
for over 200 years since 538, the Eastern Emperor had to approve papal
elections. Lombards captured the Eastern capital of Ravenna, Italy and Rome in
751.
32. 752-757:
[French] Stephen II experienced Rome being and
Rome were heavily taxed by the Lombards
before the French King Pepin II defeated them and made the papacy
a temporal power ruling the Papal States in central Italy..
33. 757-767:
Paul I disputed with the Lombard king over the Papal States while the French
did nothing.
34. 768-772:
Stephen III contended with two other pope-claimants. There was street fighting
with Lombard troops. His reign ended in total submission servience
to the Lombards king.
[767-768:
Antipope Constantine]
[768:
Antipope Philip]
FRANCE DOMINANT
35. 772-795:
Hadrian: French King Charlemagne soundly defeated the Lombards in 774. The pope
became completely obedient subservient to
Charlemagne who controlled the Church and called its synods.
36. 795-816:
Leo III was attacked by a pro-Eastern mob, deposed, escaped and fled to France
for 5 years. He returned with French troops, crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman
Western Emperor and bowed before him in 800. Note: this is 262 years after 538.
37. 817:
Stephen IV
38. 817-824:
Paschal governed harshly. The Roman people would not allow his body to be
buried in St. Peter’s.
39. 824-827:
Eugenius II was censored for error and superstition after French King Louis I called
forced a church council
to condemn the Second Council of Nicea. Over
40. 827:
Valentine approved
41. 824-844:
Gregory IV was elected by lay nobility and approved by French Emperor Lothair.
He was consecrated pope only after swearing allegiance to the French Emperor.
42. [844:
Antipope John VIII was proclaimed pope by popular acclamation.]
43. 844-847:
Sergiuis II was elected by the wealthy nobility of Rome. Since he did not wait
for the king to approve his election, the French
King Lothair punished him by plundering the Papal States. In 845
Danes destroyed Hamburg in Germany. In 846 Muslim Saracens plundered Rome and even
St. Peter’s Cathedral.
44. 847-855:
Leo IV angered both France and Constantinople by interfering in their church
appointments (lay investiture).
45. 855-858:
Benedict III was opposed by Antipope Anastasius who had been installed by the
French Emperor until the people of Rome crowds disapproved.
[855-858:
Antipope Anastasius]
46. 858-867:
After Nicholas I refused to allow the French king to divorce, French troops
invaded Rome. After Nicholas tried to take over churches in the East and
failed, he was excommunicated by the Eastern Patriarch.
47. 867-872:
Hadrian II was married before ordination. When the Duke of Spoleto plundered
Rome, the pope’s wife and daughter were raped and murdered.
48. 872-882:
John VIII bribed Saracens after he failed leading a battle against them. The
French Emperor Carloman invaded Italy. Next the dukes of Spoleto
and Tuscia occupied Rome and imprisoned the pope. He compromised on doctrine,
was poisoned and clubbed to death by friends.
49. 882-884:
Marinus.
50. 884-885:
Hadrian III had a crooked official blinded and had a noblewoman whipped naked
through the streets of Rome. He was murdered while traveling to coronate a new
German Emperor.
51. 885-891:
Stephen V ignored elections approval by the French. Result: The
Emperor/Duke of Spoleto claimed supremacy over the Papal States. There were
pope saw riots
in Rome and Muslim Saracen raids.
52. 891-896:
Formosus crowned East Frank King Arnulf as emperor for removing the Duke of
Spoleto..
53. 896:
Boniface VI had been defrocked twice by a previous pope for immorality.
54. 896-897:
[one of the worst, LP] Stephen VI was infamous for the Cadaver Synod during
which Pope Formosus was dug up, tried, and cast into the Tiber River. Stephen
himself was later deposed, imprisoned and strangled to death.
55. 897
Nov-Dec: Romanus reinstated the credibility of Pope Formosus and discredited
Pope Stephan VI. He was probably killed because of those acts.
56. 897:
Theodore II held a synod to invalidate the Cadaver Synod regarding Formosus.
57. 898-900:
John IX removed deposed anti-Formosan pope Cerveteri by appealing to the
Emperor Lambert (king of Italy). The existence of three emperors caused total
chaos. , Note: This is 362 years after 538.
900:
Feudalism was at its height. There was a great power vacuum with the lands
divided into many small protectorates. Land was given in return for military
service. Churches and monasteries were largely the fief of local nobles or
barely defended their rights with armies of their own. Abbeys and bishops no less
than local parish churches came under secular control and lay investiture was
common where laity chose church leaders.
58. 900-903:
Benedict IV sided with the wrong successor and is believed to have been
murdered by agents of Berengar, King of Italy.
59. 903
2 mo.: Leo V was overthrown and imprisoned by antipope Christopher. He was
murdered by Pope Sergius III.
ROMAN SENATE FAMILIES CONTROL THE PAPACY
For
several centuries the papacy often stayed within family members and the pope
was usually the son of the local ruler of Rome. Ruling families often fought in
the streets for control of Rome. The rulers of Rome also fought with the
Emperors of Germany over control of the papacy.
60. 904-911:
[one of the worst, LP] Sergius III (Theophylact) fathered an illegitimate son
who became Pope John XI. He killed Pope Leo V and Antipope Christopher. His
reign is called “The pornacracy of the papacy.”
61. 911-913:
Anastatius III (Theophylact) was completely controlled by the Theophylact
family. He was removed from the Eastern Patriarch’s prayer list.
62. 913-914:
Lando
(Theophylact) reigned six months.
63. 914-929:
John X (Theophylact) was deposed, imprisoned and suffocated after trying to be
independent and distance himself from the noble families of Rome.
64. 929:
Leo VI (Theophylact) was probably an illegal pope since he died before his
predecessor, John X.
65. 929-931:
Stephen VII (Theophylact) was elected to succeed Leo VI while John X was still
alive in prison awaiting John XI to grow up.
66. 931-936:
John XI was Pope Sergius III’s early-teen illegitimate son. John’s
half-brother, Alberic II, imprisoned his own mother and half-brother, the pope.
67. 936-939: Leo VII (Alberic) became pope by the power of
Albert II, the absolute ruler of Rome. He expelled Jews who refused to be
baptized. Note: 400 years after 538 and there is still no “prevailing war”
against the saints.
68. 939-942: Stephen VIII was elected by Alberic II. After
conspiring against Alberic II, he was imprisoned and killed.
69. 942-946: Marinas II (Alberic) accomplished little.
70. 946-955: Agapitus II (Alberic) was made to swear to the
dying Alberic II that the next pope would be Alberic’s son, Octavian.
GERMAN EMPEROR AND ROMAN SENATE
ALTERNATELY CONTROLLED THE PAPAACY
71. 955-964: [one of worst, LP] John XII was Alberic II’s
son who was elected at age 18. After Berengar II, King of Italy, plundered the
Papal States, German Otto I occupied Rome twice and influenced papal elections.
John XII was grossly immoral. A Roman synod deposed him.
72. 963-965: (German) Leo VIII was a layman chosen by German
Emperor Otto to replace John XII. When Romans elected Antipope Benedict V, Otto
besieged Rome and re-instated Leo VIII.
73. 964 2 mo.: Benedict V (Alberic) was removed and exiled
after Emperor Otto I besieged Rome.
74. 965-972: John XIII (German) was chosen by Otto I and
exiled by the Romans three months after his election. Otto I besieged Rome and restored John XIII by
force.
75. 973-974: Benedict VI (Crescenti): After Otto I died, the
Crescenti family of Rome imprisoned and suffocated Benedict VI and installed
Antipope Boniface VII. Otto II besieged Rome and Antipope Boniface VII fled
with much of the papal treasury (only to return 6 years later).
76. 974-983: Benedict VII (German) was elected as a
compromise. Boniface VII started a revolt in 980 which ended with another
German siege of Rome by Otto II.
77. 983-984; John XIV (German) became pope without an
election. [Yet he is legitimate.] Otto II died and Boniface VII returned a
third time, imprisoned and murdered Pope John XIV.
78. 984-985; Antipope Boniface VII served for the third
time. His body was dragged through the streets before being trampled upon by
citizens and stabbed with spears. [Until 1904 Boniface VII had been classified
as a legitimate pope.]
79. 985-996: John XV (Crescenti) angered French bishops who
almost always claimed independence. The
Crescenti family controlled the Papal States. He fled Rome and died before German
Emperor Otto III arrived to enforce his will on the papacy.
80. 996-999: Gregory V (German) was chosen by his German
relative Otto III. The Crescenti family drove him out and they installed
Antipope John XVI. Germans later restored their choice of the
papacy.
81. 999-1003: Sylvester II (German) was forced out of Rome
along with the emperor in 1001 because the people resented foreign
interference.
82. 1003: John XVII (Crescenti) was married before being
ordained and had three sons.
83. 1003-1009: John XVIII (Crescenti) was probably a
Crescenti choice since they ruled Rome until 1012. He may have abdicated.
84. 1009-1012: Sergius IV (Crescenti) disappeared when the
Crescenti family was overthrown by the Tuscan family in 1012. He and the head
of the Crescenti family were probably murdered.
[1012: Antipope Gregory (VI)]
85. 1012-1024: Benedict VIII (Tusculan) was the first of
three-consecutive layman Tusculan popes. In 1016 Normans conquered the Lombards
in southern Italy. The pope was an inconclusive military leader.
86. 1024-1032: John XIX (Tusculan) was the son of ruler
Alberic III and Pope Benedict IX’s younger brother.
87. 1032-Sept 1044; Mar-May 1045; Nov 1047-Jul 1048:
Benedict IX (Tuscan) was the only person to be pope during three separate periods.
He contended with four other popes. He was deposed twice, abdicated once and
exiled six (6) times. Note: 500 years after 538 and there is still no
“prevailing war” against the saints.
88. 1045 Jan-Feb: Sylvester III (Crescenti) probably should
be listed as an anti-pope.
89. 1045 Mar–May: Benedict IX 2nd papal term]
90. 1045 May-Dec 1046: Gregory VI should also be listed as
an Antipope. He was installed after his god-son, Benedict IX, had abdicated and
was accused by German Emperor Henry III of simony (using the office to gain
wealth).
91. 1046 Dec–1047 Oct: Clement II (German) was the first of
four German popes chosen by Emperor Henry III. Clement II replaced three other
papal claimants. [1942 evidence reveals lead poisoning.]
92. 1047 Nov – 1048 Jul: [Benedict IX 3rd papal term]
93. 1048 Jul-Aug: Damasus II (German) Pope Benedict IX
reasserted himself and prevented Pope Damasus II from reaching Rome. Damasus II
died from malaria or poison.
94. 1049-1054: Leo IX (German) attacked the Normans (Eastern
allies) and was captured. This led to the 1053 schism between Roman Catholicism
and Greek Orthodox.
[1053: Relations broke between the Western papacy and
Eastern Empire churches.]
95. 1055-1057: Victor II (German): The
emperor and pope held a synod to condemn simony, clerical marriage and
violations of clerical chastity. The Roman families were not interested in this
kind of reform.
1057: POWER VACUUM WITH 5-YEAR OLD
GERMAN EMPEROR HENRY IV
While the Normans were threatening from southern Italy, Pope
Victor II was visiting German Emperor Henry III when the emperor died. Henry IV
was his 5-year-old son in 1057.
96. 1057-1058: Stephen IX died while trying to gather
support to resist the Normans.
THE PAPACY WAIS CONSIDERED AT ITS HEIGHT OF SECULAR POWER: 1058-1525
THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS BEGAN IN A
POWER VACUUM.
The College of Cardinals was created during a power vacuum
in 1058 while the German Emperor Henry IV was 7 years old. This was intended to
be a major improvement for the Church that removed secular rulers from the
election process. It originally failed for three reasons: (1) the rulers did
not agree and continued to choose and depose popes and ignore
the cardinals, (2) popes learned how to control elections by selecting
cardinals and (3) rulers leaned how to use force in the selection of cardinals.
The result was no change at all in the final outcome.
LAY INVESTITURE WAS REMOVED DURING A
POWER VACUUM.
[1058-59: Antipope Benedict (IX)]
97. 1058-1061: Nicholas II was the first pope elected by
cardinals and bishops. Antipope Benedict X, chosen by Germany, was forced to
flee when Nicholas II occupied Rome with the Dduke
of Lorraine’s troops. A synod tried to remove some imperial authority with the
first formal declaration against lay investiture. It also ruled against
clerical marriage and clerics having concubines! With Germany weak, Nicholas
made an alliance with his former enemies, the Normans. A synod of German
bishops declared Nicholas II’s acts to be null and void and broke off communion
with him while withholding military action until Henry IV matured.
98. 1061-1073: Alexander II was a strong pope during a power
vacuum. He used Norman troops to rule Rome. In 1061-64, Germany defeated the
Normans, deposed him and installed Antipope Honorius II.
The duke of Lorraine intervened. In 1071 German Emperor
Henry IV (now 20 years old) LOST an argument over the right of lay investiture.
*99. 1073-1085: Gregory VII (Hildebrand) is considered the
greatest example of papal power in all of history -- yet his reign ended by him
being deposed by the same German Emperor, Henry IV, whom he became famous for
dominating. Typical of “great” popes, he and his two immediate predecessors
took advantage of a political power vacuum in Germany.
Gregory VII was elected by popular acclaim – not by
cardinals. He began by successfully violating his papal vow to get the
emperor’s approval of his own election -– a vow usually which had been enforced
since Constantine (325) and by almost every other major secular ruler until
modern times.
Gregory VII was the third pope in a row to successfully
repel lay investiture authority of the German Emperor. with Independent
France never gave up lay investiture.
In a position of weakness while fighting the Saxons for
control of Germany, in June 1074 Emperor Henry IV swore allegiance to the
papacy. However, having won a battle, in June 1076 he tried unsuccessfully to
reassert his rule in northern Italy. In January 1077 the Holy Roman Emperor,
Henry IV, met Gregory in the Alps in the winter and repented in sackcloth. Pope
Gregory VII made him wait outside barefooted. The excommunication and interdict
were removed and Henry yielded to the pope. This is the high point of papal
power!
Gregory VII’s papal supremacy lasted
only 7 years. By 1080 Henry IV
had completely defeated his opponents and was in a position of strength.
Gregory’s position was now weak because he had sided with Henry’s opponent,
Rudolf of Swabia. In June 1080 a synod called by Henry IV again deposed Pope
Gregory and a council of imperial bishops chose [Antipope Clement III]. Gregory
again excommunicated Henry IV and placed his subjects under interdict. This
action caused Gregory VII to lose the support of 13 cardinals. In 1081 Henry IV
marched on Rome and, after a long siege, captured Rome in March 1084. In 1085
Gregory VII was deposed again and the Roman clergy enthroned antipope Clement
III officially (until 1100).
[1080, 1084-1100: Antipope Clement (III)]
Emperor Henry IV and antipope Clement III both left Rome
temporarily while the Dduke of
Apulia marched on Rome with Norman troops and restored Gregory VII again.
However, when the Norman troops destroyed and
plundered Rome, the Roman people turned against Gregory VII and he died the
next year in exile.
Antipope Clement III (1080-1100) was a pope-claimant chosen
by German Emperor Henry IV in 1080 to replace Gregory VII and was enthroned in
March 1084. He reigned until forced out by Normans in May 1087 and hid in the
Pantheon. He returned with German imperial power to challenge several more
popes until his death in September 1100.
100. 1087 May-Sept: Victor III fled Rome four days after
being elected because of riots. He resigned and left Rome. To avoid Antipope
Clement III’s supporters he left again and returned with Tuscan forces. He left
a third time fleeing from Henry IV who forcibly restored Clement III.
101. 1089-1099: Urban II is praised as another great pope
who inspired the First (successful) Crusade. Yet he allowed lay investiture.
Urban’s papacy began while German Emperor Henry IV had forcibly restored
anti-pope Clement III in 1087 and Clement would remain in Rome against Urban
until after Urban’s death. In 1090 Henry IV forced Urban II to leave Rome until
1094. Two popes ruled: Clement III supported by Henry IV and Urban II supported
by Henry IV’s son, Conrad. Amid all of this, Urban II’s fame was gained only through
his ability to organize the First Crusade (1096-1099) which channeled the
hostility of feudal knights towards the Muslims.
“Because of the pope’s distractions with the schism at home
the rulers of Germany, England, France, Spain and Sicily were able to ignore at
will the papacy’s reformist regulations” such as simony, clerical marriages and
lay investiture (LP).
102. 1099-1118:
Paschal II reversed many of the reforms of Pope Gregory VII under pressure by
German Emperor Henry V. Normans bribed antipope Clement III to step down in
1100.
[1080,
1084-1100: Antipope Clement (III)]
[1100-1101:
Antipope Theodoric]
[1101:
Antipope Albert]
Paschal
II then had to contend with three remaining antipopes: Theodoric, Alberic and
Sylvester II. German Emperor Henry IV had disputed with Paschal over lay
investiture. After Henry V overthrew his father, Henry IV, in 1105, the
investiture dispute became much worse. The pope cited four recent synods which
had forbidden lay investiture (1106, 1107, 1108 and 1110).
[1105-1111:
Antipope Sylvester IV]
Emperor
Henry V and the people of Rome took turns protesting. The emperor marched on
Rome several times while Pope Paschal II kept excommunicating him between 1112
and 1116. Henry V installed antipope Gregory VIII twice while Paschal II
was in hiding. A few days after returning in 1118 Paschal II died. France and
England ceased lay investiture but it was only for a short time until they got
angry over papal interference again.
103. 1118-1119:
Galasius II and the German Emperor’s Antipope Gregory VIII took turns fleeing
to France and excommunicating each other.
[1118-21:
Antipope Gregory (VIII)]
104. 1119-1124:
Callistus II: In 1122 German Emperor Henry V and Callistus signed the Concordat
of Worms which replaced lay investiture with imperial oversight and imperial
veto power over nominated bishops. The pope swore allegiance to the emperor.
[1124:
Antipope Celestine II]
LAY INVESTTURE: A Roman Catholic history book boasts “The long struggle
between Church and state over lay investiture was finally over” (LP). Yet this
papal investiture only lasted 19 years until 1141 and still gave the emperor
oversight and veto power which meant he could still prevent bishops from being
elected. The arguments over and usage of lay investiture by strong secular
rulers resurfaced many times over every following century. France and Spain
especially declared themselves independent of papal interference.
105. 1124-1130:
Honorius II (Frangipani): The Pierleoni family had installed Celestie II
and the Frangipani family installed Honorius II as pope on the same day. While
Celestine was being installed the Frangipani family severely stabbed him and he
resigned. Honorius II was consecrated following substantial bribes. In 1128 the
Albigenses (Cathari) increased in northern Italy and northern Spain.
106. 1130-1143:
Innocent II competed with two antipopes. He was supported by Germany and France
while Anacletus II and Victor IV were supported by Normans. Innocent led an
army against the Normans and lost Sicily. In 1141 he argued with France over
lay investiture. In 1143 Roman citizens declared its Senate was independent of
the papacy. Note: This is 600 years after 538.
[1130-38:
Antipope Anacletus II]
[1138:
Antipope Victor IV]
107. 1143-1144:
Celestine II reversed positions taken by his predecessor concerning France and
the Normans. In response the Normans threatened the Papal States.
108. 1144-1145:
Lucius II was elected during political strife in Rome. The Pierleoni family
controlled the Senate and the laity demanded that the papacy confine itself to
spiritual functions. Neither Norman Roger II nor German Conrad III would rescue
the pope. He was killed leading a military attack on the Senate in Rome.
109. 1145-1153:
Eugenius III was accepted and later rejected by the Senate and fled to France.
The Second Crusade of 1147-1148 was a failure. He returned to Rome again in
1149 and 1152 under the protection of Frederick I of Germany. At his death
disharmony remained concerning the Roman Senate and the Normans.
110. 1153-1154:
Anastasius IV made peace with the independent Roman Senate.
111. 1154-1159:
Hadrian IV (English) angered German Emperor Frederic by referring to him as his
vassal and by not approving one of his nominations (lay investiture). When
Frederick claimed northern Italy and Corsica, Hadrian fled from Rome and hid
until his death in 1159.
[1159-64:
Antipope Victor IV]
112. 1159-1181:
Alexander III: After a hotly disputed election, there was a 20-year schism
between himself and 3 German anti-popes supported by Emperor Frederick and a
fourth antipope supported by the Roman Senate. He hid in France from
1162-1165. A crusade against the Albigenses from 1158-1181 was a total
failure.
[1164-68:
Antipope Paschal III]
Antipope
Callistus III stayed in Rome over 10 years from 1168-1178. Alexander
returned to preside over the Third Lateran Council in 1179 before fleeing from
the Senate. After wandering in the Papal States (1180-1181) his body was
desecrated before burial. He punished the Waldensians and is considered a
strong pope.
113. 1181-1185:
Lucius III (German) Because of hostility his coronation was held outside of
Rome. He was only allowed to stay in Rome from November 1181 to March 1182. All
factions disliked each other – except for punishing the Waldensians by church
excommunication and state punishment. He died in exile by the German
Emperor.
[1168-78:
Antipope Callistus (III)]
[1179-80:
Antipope Innocent (III)]
114. 1185-1187:
Urban III did not live in Rome due to German exile. Germany invaded, occupied
the Papal States and isolated the pope. Urban supported two rebellions against
the emperor and both failed by 1186 when he capitulated and allowed lay
investiture.
115. 1187
Oct-Dec: Gregory VIII did not live in Rome due to German exile. He obeyed the
emperor and was treated well. His reign was very contentious.
116. 1187-1191:
Clement III (1187-1191): In exchange for Roman senators restoring papal
revenues, the papacy had to pay taxes to the city’s secular leaders and allow
them to run its secular businesses.
From 1154 to 1189 the papacy won and
lost fights with Henry II of England. When the dust settled, Henry II kept control
of lay investiture.
117. 1191-1198:
Celestine III: The Germen Emperor Henry VI invaded southern Italy,
re-instituted lay investiture and murdered a papal bishop. The pope could not
prevent Henry from holding English King Richard for ransom.
ONE STRONG POPE OF 190 FOR 18 YEARS
**118.
1198-1216: Innocent III “was one of the most important and powerful popes in
the entire history of the church” (LP). As usual when a “strong” pope asserted
himself, a power vacuum existed. After Emperor Henry V died in late 1197, both
contenders, Otto IV and Philip of Swabia, asked for the pope’s endorsement.
Innocent III boasted of papal power to choose emperors. It is during this
period that the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) turned into a fiasco after
temporarily conquering Constantinople.
In
error the pope favored Philip who was murdered in 1207. After receiving
tremendous concessions from Otto IV, Innocent crowned him as emperor in
1209. Otto IV immediately ignored all of his promises and invaded southern
Italy. Pope Innocent deposed Otto IV and, in 1212 named Frederic II of Sicily
as emperor. In 1214 French King Philip II defeated Otto’s forces. Thus,
innocent’s choice of the emperor survived. Innocent also forced a very weak
King John of England (1198-1216) to submit concerning lay investiture and revoked
the Magna Charta. From 1209 to 1229 a full-scale successful crusade was mounted
against the Albigenses and Waldenses which resulted in many deaths and the
beginning of the Inquisition.
Innocent
III’s many successes are almost nullified by his many failures. During the
crusade of 1202-1204 Germany, England and France all alternated between making
and breaking promises to the pope who made many concessions in order to
encourage his fiasco of a crusade in the east. Rather than fighting Muslims,
armies from Catholic countries plundered and killed fellow Christians in
Constantinople (which lasted only 20 years). Innocent III started strong and
ended weak with French King Philip II. Local bishops disliked being treated as
mere subordinates to the pope. In 1212 the papacy suffered another horrible
catastrophe when the Children’s’ Crusade ended in the slaughter an enslavement
of thousands of Catholic children. Also, the great accomplishment of placing
Emperor Frederic II into office turned into a fiasco when Frederic became the
enemy of papal power after Innocent III’s death.
In the
spiritual realm, innocent’s Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 made the Eucharist
into God, condemned heresies, asked for secular suppression of heresies, banned
new religious orders and required Jews to wear distinctive clothing. Innocent
III died suddenly of a fever in 1216. The next pope ignored the Council.
Note:
1209-1229 is almost 700 years since the 1260 years began in 538 and it is the
first time the papacy endorsed a successful war against fellow Christians. Yet
this cannot be the fulfillment of “made war with the saints and prevailed
against them”: (1) if the Albigenses (Cathari) are the “saints” of Daniel 7, we
would have to conclude that their many cultic doctrines were correct. (2)
The Albigenses were exterminated quickly, but the prophecy states that the
saints “shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of
time” –for 1260 years according to SDAs.
119. 1216-1227:
Honorius III saw the Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) end in failure. German
Emperor Frederick II spent his time trying to restore territory taken from him
by Pope Innocent III and selected his own church leaders (lay investiture).
Honorius continued using French and German kings to massacre Albigenses
heretics in southern France. Opposing Innocent’s Lateran Council of 1215,
Honorius authorized three new orders: Dominicans, Franciscans and Carmelites.
120. 1227-1241:
Gregory IX personally led a losing army to oppose the emperor. In 1234 the pope
temporarily fled uprisings in Rome. In 1239 Frederic invaded the Papal States,
surrounded Rome and prevented Gregory from assembling a council against him.
Gregory died in the August heat during the siege.
121. 1241:
Celestine IV served 16 days while a Roman senator from the Orsini family was
the absolute ruler of Rome.
122. 1243-1254:
[one of worst, LP] Innocent IV fled to France from 1244-1250. From 1251-1254 he
was opposed by Conrad IV, Frederic’s son. He died in Naples during
uprisings.
123. 1254-1261:
Alexander IV lost control of the Papal States to Manfred of Sicily. Rome was
too dangerous and the pope did not live there.
124. 1261-1264:
Urban IV failed to persuade the French king to occupy southern Italy and Sicily
and make them pay tribute. Manfred of Sicily renewed military action and Urban
IV fled and died in exile.
1266-1798: FRANCE CONTROLLED THE PAPACY
125. 1266-1268:
Clement IV (French) never lived in Rome because of its anti-papal conditions.
France replaced Germany for control of Italy.
126. 1268-1272
was a period without a pope because of civil strife. It ended when the civil
authorities locked the cardinals in a room, removed the roof and threatened
them with starvation until a pope was selected.
127. 1272-1276:
Gregory X did not live in Rome. He was a layman when elected. The (French) king
of Sicily was a threat and ruled most of Italy.
128. 1276:
Innocent V served 5 months.
129. 1276:
Hadrian V served 5 weeks.
130. 1276-1277:
John XXI served 9 months. He died suspiciously when the ceiling of his study
fell on him.
131. 1277-1280:
Nicholas III was condemned to Hell in Dante’s Inferno.
132. 1281-1285:
Martin IV (French) turned over the Papal States to the French King of Sicily.
After German-Spanish Emperor Peter (the Great) took over Sicily from France,
Martin alienated many Catholics.
133. 1285-1287:
Honorius IV (French) instigated a war between France and the German-Spanish
ruler of Sicily. Defeat included the death of both the French king, Philip III,
and the King of Sicily, Peter III.
134. 1288-1292:
Nicholas IV did not live in Rome due to hatred of his favoritism. Unrest in the
Papal States forced him to appoint offices and distribute income more fairly.
[From
1292 to1294 there were 27 months without a pope due to disputes between the
Orsini and Colonna Italian noble families.]
135. 1294
5 months: Celestine V had been a hermit before being elected pope by the king
of Sicily and Naples. He was uneducated, inept, befuddled and did not even
speak Latin. He either resigned or was murdered.
136. 1295-1303:
[one of worst, LP] Boniface VIII (Colunna) was accused of idolatry because he
had so many statues of himself built. He failed to remove the Spanish from
Sicily and failed to mediate a dispute between Venice and Naples. He also
failed to defend Scotland’s independence from England and failed to stop a war
between France and England. Moreover, he failed to stop France and England from
taxing clergy to finance their war. When Boniface threatened excommunication to
stop the taxation, Philip replied by forbidding money from leaving France to
the papacy. King Philip later won every argument with Boniface and the Colonna
family rejected his high-handed methods. When captured by the Colonna family,
Boniface was rescued by the Orsini family. His greatest mistake was the excommunication
of French leaders and landowners who had confiscated church property.
The
French now controlled the papacy much more than the Germans had for the better
part of 400 years before them. In 1304 the French forcibly moved the papacy
into France for over 70 years.
PAPAL RESIDENCE MOVED TO FRANCE: 1304-1377
Note:
The papacy was so powerless that it could not resist being physically moved to
France for over 70 years. This definitely cannot be part of 1260 years of
“making war with and prevailing against the saints.”
137. 1301-1304:
Benedict XI (in France) was completely controlled by the French king and was forced
to live in Arles. He even assigned church tithe income to the French king for
two years and revoked all of Boniface VIII’s penalties against the French king.
He is listed by Catholics as allegedly murdered.
138. 1305-1314:
Clement V (in France) was forced to torture the Knights Templar to gather their
fortunes.
139. 1314-1316
(in France) had no pope because of disputes. Armed Frenchmen shouted “Death to
the Italians. We want a [French] pope.”
140. 1316-1334:
John XXII (in France) was accused of heresy for saying that the saints did not
see God until after the final judgment. After being excommunicated for calling
the pope a heretic, Louis IV of France deposed John XXII, declared himself
emperor and installed Antipope, Nicholas V, who survived two years before abdicating
in 1330.
[1328-30:
Antipope Nicholas (V)]
100 YEARS’ WAR: ENGLAND AND FRANCE OVER RULE OF FRANCE (1336-1453)
141. 1335-1342:
Benedict XII (in France) was not allowed to move back to Rome and he was
powerless to prevent the Hundred Years’ War between two Catholic nations
(1336-1453). Much papal land in Italy was lost to Germany and his enemies
included the Franciscans.
142. 1342-1352:
[one of worst, LP] Clement IV (in France): After supporting Cola di Rienzo as
ruler of Rome, he excommunicated him for asserting independence of the Roman
people from both the pope and the German emperor. While the pope was captive in
France, the archbishop of Milan became more powerful than the pope in Italy. In
1351 English King Edward III restored lay investiture. From 1348-1349 the Black
Death devastated Avignon, France.
143. 1352-1362:
Innocent VI (in France) (France and England at war) was unable to regain the
Papal States. German kings asserted their independence from the pope including
lay investiture. Avignon itself was attacked by mercenary troops during lulls
in the war with England.
144. 1362-1370:
Urban V (France–England war) stayed in Rome from 1367-1370 but returned to
France when Roman nobility, rebels and forces under the archbishop of Milan
were massing to attack him.
145. 1371-1378:
Gregory XI (in France) (last French pope) (during France-England war) could not
gather funds in 1373 to fight the Viscount of Milan. With England and France at
war, the pope failed to mount another crusade against Muslims. German Emperor
Charles IV made his 15-year-old son king of Romans without his permission.
After briefly returning to Rome the pope returned to France in March 1378
because of resentment against him in the Papal States and Florence.
GREAT WESTERN SCHISM OF 1378-1417; Antipope in
Avignon, France and Pope in Rome.
146. 1378-1389:
[one of worst, LP] Urban VI (from Rome) (during France-England war) angered the
cardinals who elected antipope Clement VII (1378-1394 (thus beginning the 40-year
Great Western Schism of 1378-1417 (LP). He was elected after riots and demands
to have a Roman pope. This resulted in two popes who excommunicated each other
and sent mercenary troops to fight one another. After leading a failed attack
on Naples, executing five cardinals and creating anarchy in the Papal States
Urban VI died of probable poisoning.
[1378-94:
Antipope Clement (VII)]
147. 1389-1404:
[one of worst, LP] Boniface IX (from Rome during 1378-1417 schism and during
France-England war) abolished Rome’s government, declared himself absolute
ruler, fled Rome and died suddenly after a failed meeting with the antipope,
Benedict XIII.
148. 1404-1406:
Innocent VII (from Rome during 1378-1417 schism and France-England war): Civil
unrest in Rome prevented reconciliation talks. After the pope’s nephew
murdered leading citizens and rioters stoned the Vatican, the pope fled for 7
months before the people allowed him to return. Antipope Benedict IX was still
present.
[1394-1417:
Antipope Benedict (XIII)]
[1409-10:
Antipope Alexander V]
[1410-15:
Antipope John (XXIII)]
149. 1406-1415:
Gregory XII (during 1378-1417 schism and France-England war) saw three popes
reign at the same time. The kings of Naples, Hungary and Bohemia called the
Council of Pisa in 1409 and deposed Pope Gregory XII and antipope Benedict
XIII. After two more councils two additional popes had been replaced by
Martin V (Antipope Clement VIII (1423-1429) and Antipope Benedict XIV (1425).
[1423-29:
Antipope Clement (VIII)]
[1425:
Antipope Benedict IV]
150. 1417-1431:
Martin V (Coloma) (France-England war) was named by a King to replace one pope
and two anti-popes as the Great Western Schism ended. Resisting pleas from
Germany and Avignon to dwell there, he took residence in Rome in 1420. He
failed to mount a crusade against the followers of Hus.
COLONNA FAMILY CONTROLLED THE PAPACY
151. 1431-1447:
Eugenius IV (France-England war ended 1443): In 1435 the Council of Basel ended
annual papal taxes and limited the power of the papacy. The Council elected
antipope Felix V in 1439. Eugenius had to flee the Colonnas (who had taken over
the Papal States in 1434) and hide in Florence from 1434 to 1443. Much happened
during the reign of Eugenius IV including disputes with the Greek Orthodox
Church. In 1444 a crusade against Turks ended in defeat.
[1439-49:
Antipope Felix V]
152. 1447-1455:
Nicholas V was a good pope. The Eastern Roman Empire and Constantinople fell to
the Muslim Turks in 1453.
SPAIN BECOMES IMPORTANT
153. 1455-1458:
[one of worst, LP] Callistus III organized a crusade against the Turks which
failed due to indifference. His monetary policies angered France, Germany and
Spain. He was stubborn and did not tolerate opposition. He angered many by
placing a Spanish army leader over the Papal States. At his death the Italians
rioted against his supporters who then fled.
154. 1458-1464:
Pius II had fathered several illegitimate children before becoming
pope. He failed twice to have a new crusade. He angered the French by
supporting a Spanish king of Naples. The French repeated their independent
rights of its Church, including lay investiture. Pius also had bad relations
with the Kings of Germany and Bohemia.
155. 1464-1471:
[one of worst, LP] Paul II was “absorbed in luxury, sport and entertainment”
and was a “vain intellectually shallow ostentatious playboy” (LP). He
angered humanists and scholars by abolishing their support. He excommunicated
the King of Bohemia fearing that he might be a supporter of Hus.
156. 1471-1484:
[one of worst, LP] Sixtus IV incited the Protestant Reformation by turning the
Vatican into a Renaissance showpiece. He was involved in a murder-conspiracy
and caused a war with Florence (1478-1480) because he had begun the Spanish
Inquisition. He incited another war between Florence and Ferrara causing him to
lose several Papal States. He began the sale of indulgences and annulled the
decrees of the reformist Council of Constance.
157. 1484-1492:
[one of worst, LP] Innocent VIII was very worldly. He lost two wars with
Ferdinand I of Naples over increased taxes and made his own thirteen-year-old
illegitimate son a cardinal.
**158.
1492-1503: [one of worst, LP] Alexander VI (de Borgia) is considered to be the
worst pope of history. He openly lived a promiscuous life, fathering several
children before and after his election to the papacy. When away, he left his
mistress in charge of the Vatican. He caused several fights between France and
Spain. He died by poisoning.
159. 1503
Oct: Pius III served 17 days.
160. 1503-1513:
[one of worst, LP] Julius II sold indulgences to build St. Peter’s Basilica
which angered Martin Luther. As a cardinal he fathered three daughters. French
King Louis XII in 1511 called a council to depose him but Spain and England
temporarily pushed France out of Italy. He allowed English Henry VIII to marry
his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon.
161. 1513-1521:
[one of worst, LP] Leo X (Medici) witnessed the outbreak of the Protestant
Reformation in 1517 because of abusive indulgences and simony. He re-confirmed
an agreement that the French king had lay investiture right to select all
church offices. His spending caused political and financial setbacks both among
Catholics and followers of Luther. When he died Europe was in political
turmoil.
162. 1522-1523:
Hadrian VI was supported by the German emperor. The Roman people did not like
him. After angering both Germany and France, France prepared to invade Italy.
PEASANTS REVOLT IN GERMANY, 1524-1525
163. 1523-1534:
Clement VII (Medici) inadvertently spread the Protestant Reformation across
Europe and to England when he refused to allow Henry VIII to divorce Catherine
of Aragon. He reversed loyalties between Germany and France. Spanish-German Emperor
Charles V invaded and sacked Rome in 1527. After being a prisoner of France for
six months he returned after allowing France to occupy major parts of the Papal
States and paying France a huge indemnity. His actions helped the Protestant
Reformation and caused England to become Protestant.
164. 1534-1549:
Paul III was the first pope from Rome since 1431 and was opposed by the Colonna
and Medici families. He had four illegitimate children by a noble Roman
mistress. After censoring Michelangelo for nude figures, Michelangelo pictured
him among the damned with donkey’s ears and a serpent around his body. He
excommunicated Henry VIII of England. When the pope tried to move the Council
of Trent to Bologna, the Spanish-German Emperor Charles V prevented it. Fights
over which family members would rule the Papal States filled his last years.
165. 1550-1555:
Julius III was infatuated with a fifteen-year-old boy he elevated to a cardinal
and Secretary of State before the boy was imprisoned for criminal activity. The
pope provoked a war between the Spanish Emperor and France. He failed to
slow down the Protestant Reformation in Germany and England.
166. 1555:
Marcellus served 2 months. He was forced to retire because he was so critical
of nepotism (favoring relatives) and simony (using his office to gain wealth).
167. 1555-1559:
[one of worst, LP] Paul IV was so harsh and unfair that Romans hated him,
rioted, attacked the Inquisition prisons, released prisoners and tore down
statutes of the pope. He lost a war with Catholic Spain.
168. 1559-1565:
Pius IV refused to take a position on married priests. Protestantism spread and
the Papal States had riots and attempts on his life.
167. 1566-1572:
Pius V excommunicated Catholic Queen Elizabeth I of England which caused
English Catholics to be persecuted. Enforcement of banned books forced printers
to leave Italy. He angered Maximilian II of Germany by trying to appoint a
civil ruler and he argued with Phillip II of Spain trying to curtail royal
control over the Church (investiture).
168. 1572-1585:
Gregory XIII encouraged Phillip II of Spain to invade England and encouraged
plots to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. By rejecting Sweden’s request that
priests be allowed to marry, Sweden became Protestant. The Papal States
rebelled and bandits were in Rome.
169. 1585-1590:
Sixtus V ended an insurrection in the Papal States with harsh measures and
beheadings. In 1588 the Spanish Armada which Gregory XIII had encouraged was
defeated and French Protestantism grew. Roman mobs hated him.
170. 1590
Sep: Urban VII died of malaria.
171. 1590-1591:
Gregory XIV (France-England vs Spain war) endured the plague, food shortages
and lawlessness in Rome. His pro-Spanish favoritism angered the French.
And his stance against Henry IV, Protestant King of France, caused French
Catholics to side with their Protestant king. He was also not liked because of
his incompetence and nepotism in Rome.
172. 1591
Oct-Dec: Innocent IX (France-Spain war) continued war against Protestant King
Henry IV of France. Rome was in lawless anarchy.
173. 1592-1603:
Clement VIII: By accepting (now-Catholic) Henry IV as king of France, he was
forced to grant religious freedom and civil equality to the Huguenots in
France. James I made England Protestant again.
174. 1605
26 days: Leo XI was supported by France and opposed by Spain.
THIRTY
YEARS’ WAR (1618-1648) in Germany: On one side were German Protestants,
(Catholic) France, England, Sweden and Denmark. On the other side were
Hapsburg Catholics of Germany, Spain, Bohemia, most of Italy and southern
Netherlands. Oddly, the pope sided with France (and Protestants).
175. 1605-1621:
Paul V (Thirty Years War): Venice rebelled against the papacy –saying it had no
temporal authority. Paul V argued with England over the pope’s right to depose
secular leaders. He also argued with the French who said that the French Church
and king were independent from the pope.
176. 1621-1623:
Gregory XV (Thirty Years War) declared secret ballots for the pope and saw some
success in the Jesuit-led Counter-Reformation.
177. 1623-1644:
Urban VIII (Thirty Years’ War): The Catholic Counter-Reformation ended. His
last days saw a military and financial defeat when France and Venice denied his
attempted expansion of the Papal States. The Roman people were jubilant at this
death.
178. 1644-1655:
Innocent X was controlled by his sister-in-law. Though unhappy with the results
of the Thirty Years’ War, he was helpless to affect it. He next favored
Catholic Spain in its renewed war with Catholic France. After death he remained
unburied for several days because his sister-in-law refused to pay the funeral
expenses. In 1655-1700 Waldensians were killed by the Duke of Savoy.
179. 1655-1667:
Alexander VII was not liked by the French who were now more powerful. He was
forced to apologize to French King Louis XIV and to allowed him (ruled
1643-1715) to make church appointments (lay investiture).
180. 1667-1669:
Clement IX was forced to allow French Louis XIV lay investiture. His campaign
to free Crete from the Turks failed; this caused great debt to Venice, Spain
and the empire.
181. 1670-1676:
Clement X was a compromise after both France and Spain vetoed previous choices.
French King Louis XIV confiscated church property and finances. Clement was
also pressured to appoint French cardinals.
182. 1676-1699:
Innocent XI: In 1682 Louis XIV re-asserted the old Gallican Articles: “There is
no papal secular authority over kings and general councils are superior to the
pope” and reaffirmed the independence of the French Church. When the pope
excommunicated Louis XIV, France retaliated by occupying two papal
cities.
183. 1689-1691:
Alexander VIII angered the citizens by drafting an army from Venice. His
friendship with French Louis XIV angered the German emperor.
184. 1691-1700:
Innocent XII ratified many bishops nominated by Louis XIV in return for the
king easing up on the Gallican Articles but the French Church’s autonomy
remained -- in other words, he allowed lay investiture. Peace with France meant
problems with the Germans through papal interference.
185. 1700-1721:
Clement XI (1700-1721) (layman) angered the Chinese which resulted in
persecution and closed churches in China. Under pressure from French Louis XIV
(d1714), he condemned the Catholic Jansenists again. After siding with the
Germans over the new emperor, Charles VI, relations with Spain were broken.
Germany invaded Italy, captured Naples and threatened Rome. The Spanish also
excluded him from decisions in Sardinia, Sicily, Parma and Piacenza. The
Spanish fleet he had encouraged to fight the Turks instead captured Sardinia
from Germany.
186. 1721-1724:
Innocent XIII disliked both Jesuits and their religious enemies. He gave
concessions to the French and German rulers and failed to stop Spanish Charles
VI from claiming supreme authority over the Church in Sicily.
187. 1724-1730:
Benedict XIII was a compromise because the French, Spanish and Germans failed
to elect their own choices. Italian Cardinal Coscia controlled the pope and
became wealthy selling offices and taking bribes (simony). Benedict was hated
by the Roman people because he did not discipline Coscia. In 1730 the Romans
rioted and forced him out.
188. 1730-1740: Clement XII: Catholic
kings continued to ignore the papacy. The Austrian Emperor Charles VI occupied
m any of the Papal States and recruited soldiers from Rome.
189. 1740-1758:
Benedict XIV gave political concessions to Sardinia, Naples, Spain and Austria.
He allowed Spain and Portugal to make all church appointments (lay
investiture). Siding with the wrong contender caused the loss of all papal
money-producing offices in Austria and caused the occupation of the Papal
States by Austria.
190. 1758-1769:
Clement XIII was a compromise choice after a French veto. France, Spain, Naples
and Parma were in full rebellion against the Jesuits. From 1759-1767 Portugal,
France and Spain deported Jesuits. When the pope took no action against the
Jesuits, France occupied two papal lands inside France. He also failed to stop
German rulers from assuming more religious powers.
191. 1769-1774:
[one of worst, LP] Clement XIV was elected by the influence of Bourbon rulers
in France, Spain, Naples and Parma. Under much pressure he completely dissolved
the Jesuits in 1773. France and Portugal’s secular leaders suppressed more
Church-associated functions. On the other hand, he lost support among cardinals
and Roman nobility in the Papal States because they had supported the Jesuits.
He could not stop the partition of Poland. His last year was spent in
depression, fear of assassination and an acute skin disease.
192. 1776-1799:
Pius VI was rejected by Naples as its feudal lord even though he allowed Naples
the right of lay investiture. Emperor Joseph II of Austria (1765-1790)
proclaimed total religious liberty, forbade bishops from appealing to Rome and
curtailed Catholic institutions. In 1786 German cardinals said they could run
German churches without his interference. Joseph II announced plans to make
local churches independent of Rome and the Synod of Pistoia in 1786 adopted the
(French) Gallican Articles of 1682. He failed in requests to have
(non-Catholic) Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia suppress
Jesuits. In 1790 the pope did not object when Catholic clergy became paid
employees of the state in France. In 1791 he denounced the oath of loyalty French
Catholic leaders made to the state and he denounced the Declaration of the
Rights of Man. Diplomatic relations between France and the papacy were broken.
France annexed Avignon and Venaissen where its citizens had revolted against
papal leadership. The French Church became split between those loyal to the
revolution and those loyal to the monarchy (no loyalty to Rome involved). After
the pope denounced new France, Napoleon occupied Milan. When the pope continued
to resist, Napoleon occupied many of the Papal States. In 1797 the papacy lost
more of the Papal States and was forced to pay huge spoils of war including
valuable manuscripts and art. On February 15, 1798 France deposed the pope,
occupied all of the Papal States and Rome itself. Pius VI died a prisoner in
August 1799.
TIME WITHOUT A POPE IN OFFICE: 2 YEARS, 17 DAYS: WAS THIS A DEADLY
WOUND?
The
prophecy stated that the little horn “made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them” (Dan 7:21) “until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was
given to the saints of the most High and the time came that the saints
possessed the kingdom” (Dan 7:22).
While
conservative futurist theologians see the end of the 1260 “days” referring to
the second coming of Christ, SDAs end the 1260 period of “prevailing war” in
1798. The “until” of Daniel 7:22 suggests that SDAs might extend the
“prevailing war” either to the Investigative “Judgment” of 1844 or else all the
way to the end of the “judgment” at the second coming. Thus their 1260 years is
actually much longer. This is a serious problem for them.
Daniel
7:25 continues “and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times
and the dividing of time.” The “prevailing war” against the saints was to last
(according to SDAs) 1260 years, from 538 until 1798. The papacy has never fit
this description and still does not fit this description!
Even
while making great statements, calling Church Councils and sending Crusaders to
fight, most popes (repeat, most popes) were controlled by rulers who had veto
power. Most popes spent most of their time juggling its authority between
Catholic rulers. Favoritism to one meant animosity towards another. Disagreeing
with rulers usually invited a march on Rome. The popes often hid and fled from
rulers who often besieged Rome and allowed the rulers to have lay investiture
and appoint bishops.
1800-1823:
Pius VII was crowned in Venice on March 4, 1800 while the kingdom of Naples
occupied Rome for Austria. Since the French had stolen the papal regalia,
the pope was crowned with a paper mache’ tiara. Since the papacy was under
Austrian protection, Napoleon defeated Austria. Austria and Naples left Rome.
In 1801 an agreement was signed with Napoleon which re-established Catholicism
in France but lessened its authority. For the first time in many centuries the
papacy was given investiture power over bishops in France; this lasted 8 years
until 1809. A similar agreement was made with the new Italian Republic but not
with Germany. The pope took part in Napoleon’s coronation in 1804 but refused
to support the blockade of England. In February 1808 Napoleon occupied Rome and
occupied the Papal States in May 1809. The pope was arrested, imprisoned and
forced to allow Napoleon to appoint bishops (lay investiture). When Napoleon
abdicated in 1814 the pope renounced everything he had been forced to do under
threat.
1823-1829:
Leo XII reinforced the List of Forbidden Books and the Holy Office (formerly
the Inquisition) and reestablished the feudal aristocracy in the Papal States
(LP). Austria had vetoed the first election (vetoes by heads of states would
last until 1904). In 1825 he condemned religious toleration of the revolution
and Freemasonry. In 1826 Jews were confined to ghettos in the Papal States and
their property was confiscated. He revoked previous (liberal) reforms and
established a police state with secret societies, press censorship, capital
punishment. As a result, many skilled laborers moved out of the Papal States,
its economy suffered and it had the reputation of being the most backward in
Europe. Oddly, though, he adopted a more conciliatory position with European
nations than with the Papal States. He had an overriding fear and hostility
towards the modern world.
1829-1830:
Pius VIII returned to the more liberal policies of Pius VII (1800-1823). He
blamed the breakdown of religion and the social order on indifferentism on
Protestant Bible Societies’ attacks on Catholic dogma, and secret societies. He
allowed more Catholic-Protestant marriages. Against the advice of his nuncio
and Curia he accepted the overthrow of French King Charles X in favor of
Louis-Philippe.
1831-1846:
Gregory XVI was one of the most reactionary popes. He opposed Italian
nationalism, freedom of the press, freedom of conscience and the separation of
Church and State. He banned street lights in the Papal States and banned
railways. He was greeted with a rebellion in Rome wanting more freedom and an
Italian Republic. After the Austrians had crushed the revolts Russia, England,
France and Prussia demanded reforms from the papacy. New disorders erupted and
Austrian troops crushed the riots again. France then occupied the Papal States
for seven years. Rather than use excommunication against Catholic leaders who
opposed him (as in the past) he merely condemned or censored them. He then was
ignored as Spain and Portugal passed anti-Church secular legislation. H opposed
Switzerland for removing papal authority over Swiss Catholics and Poland for
breaking with the czar of Russia. He had to yield to the French request than
Jesuits be withdrawn. When he died the papal treasury was empty because of war
expenses.
1846-1878:
Pius IX called the First Vatican Council which defined papal infallibility,
papal primacy and the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1869-1870. His
Syllabus of Errors concerned modern thinking. At first the Romans thought he
was going to agree with new reforms and nationalism; as he changed the Romans
disliked him because they wanted an Italian Republic. In 1848 he angered the people
by refusing to support the war to expel Austria from Italy. He fled Rome when
revolutionaries besieged it. In February 1849 Mazzini declared the Italian
Republic. After a papal appeal for help France restored papal rule in July 1849
and the pope returned in April 1850. By 1860 all of the Papal States had been
lost in battle except Rome. France protected the papacy in Rome until 1870 when
it had to withdraw to fight Prussia. By 1871 the papacy was left with only the
Vatican and a few buildings.
