THE DECLINE OF THE CHURCH

CONFLICT WITH THE STATE

• Pope Boniface VIII and French King Phillip IV disagreed over right to tax
• Universal sovereignty of papacy vs royal sovereignty of monarch

CONFLICT WITH THE STATE

• Boniface VIII died and Clement V, a Frenchman, became pope.
• Took up residence in Avignon

THE PAPACY AT AVIGNON (1305-1377)

• Traditionally, Rome was the capital of the church.
• Moving to Avignon led to a decline in papal prestige
• People believed the papacy was being controlled by the French.

THE PAPACY AT AVIGNON

• The popes developed a centralized bureaucracy.
• Had four units: the papal penitentiary, chancery, Roman rota, and papal chamber

THE PAPACY AT AVIGNON

• Popes increased their right to provision or appoint officials to benefices- a sacred office and right to part of church's annual revenue
• The church paid cardinals in benefices for their sevices
• Led to corruption

THE PAPACY AT AVIGNON

• Popes also increased taxes and lived in splendor
• Avignon became a symbol of the abuses of the church

THE GREAT SCHISM

• Pope Gregory XI returns to Rome.
• Roman citizens threatened for an Italian pope.
• Pope Urban VII (Italian) was elected.

THE GREAT SCHISM

• French declared his election void
• They chose Clement VII (French) and returned to Avignon
• 2 popes = schism
• Lasted 40 years and was bad for the church's image

NEW THOUGHTS ON CHURCH AND STATE AND THE RISE OF CONCILIARISM

• Marsiglio proposed primal separation of church and state
• Divine sentences should be decided by a council, not just 1 person
• Great Schism led churchmen to believe in a general council

NEW THOUGHTS ON CHURCH AND STATE AND THE RISE OF CONCILIARISM

• Council of Pisa (both sides) elected new pope Alexander V.
• The 2 other popes refused to step down = 3 popes.
• Roman council at Constance got rid of all 3 popes and elected Cardinal Oddone Colonna as pope.
• Great Schism ended

POPULAR RELIGION IN AN AGE OF ADVERISTY

• Black Death heightened preoccupation with death and salvation.
• People became more active in salvation by doing good deeds.
• People looked towards themselves for salvation rather than the church

MYSTICISM AND LAY PIETY

• In the 14th century, mysticism had a strong impact in Germany and the Low Countries.
• Mysticism- immediate expression of oneness with God.
• This was the teaching of Meister Eckhart and his disciples.
• One of his pupils, Johannes Tauler, taught that one should channel mysticism into preparing the soul for union with God.

MYSTICISM AND LAY PIETY

• In the Low Countries, Gerard Groote created Modern Devotion which stated that one must imitate Jesus and help others.
• He emphasized simple piety.
• His followers became the Brothers and Sisters of the Common Life.
• Female mystics practiced fasting and receiving the Eucharist as a way of achieving union with God.

CHANGES IN THEOLOGY

• In 14th century, philosopher William of Occam believed that people could only perceive real objects.
• Spiritual truths could not be justified.
• For example, you can't prove that "God exists."
• His philosophy had an important impact on the development of science and rational thought.

CONCLUSION

• With the Great Schism, the Black Death, and the growing popularity of science and rational thought, the Catholic Church began to see a gradual decline in its authority and control over the people. Over time, it began to lose its political dominance and became a solely social institution.