Gregory’s Great Monastery

In his exchanges with King Henry IV during the later eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII proclaimed that he held the authority to remove the mighty King from the throne of the Roman Empire. Pope Gregory VII, having already excommunicated the King from the Church for various crimes against it, believed it was his religious duty to instill a Christian ruler who was loyal to the Church to govern the predominately Christian society. Pope Gregory VII …

…the Church. This would force these loyal Christian followers to be at a crossroads, and the results would have been disastrous for the Church. Saint Benedict wrote his Rule for Monasteries hoping to instill order throughout the Church, therefore making it more unified. Pope Gregory VII removed King Henry IV from power with the same intentions, keeping the Church unified, which would keep the Church strong. Both these men sought the same conclusion for Christianity.