The Western Schism
While, by now, the papacy had officially relocated from the banks of the Rhone to the banks of the Tiber, St. Peter’s vast riches, library, and archives still mostly remained in Avignon. Throughout the latter months of Pope Gregory XI’s rule, the papacy spent large sums of money transporting its own treasures to Rome –a task which required scores of dutiful scribes and accountants. Despite being only forty-eight, and having been appointed pope in 1370, Pope Gregory was not long for this life and he realized that a house divided could not stand. With what little time he had left, he sought to re-orient the Sacred College away from its French branch and toward a decidedly more Italian pontiff. When Gregory died on March 27, 1378, the people of Rome could be heard shouting, “Romano lo volemo, o almeno italiano!” (or “we demand a Roman or at…
View original post 2,728 more words
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments