Digital Continent Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 2016 | Page 27
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It must be recalled,
however, that the
Investiture
Controversy came
to the fore due to
what appeared to be
the irreconcilable
differences between
the reforming
papacy and the
German monarchy. Why this happened can be attributed, in part, to historical and societal
development in that region. The understanding that the reformers had regarding the hierarchy of
power had matured. The salvation of souls demanded a higher authority. Divine law was
expressed in canon law and in order to carry out and fulfill the mission of redemption, the
Church called for strict obedience to the highest earthly authority, the Apostolic See. Peter
Damian’s thought process was formally put into action in order to aid in the carrying out of
canonical law. Should papal decree and conciliar resolution be at odds, the papal decree held
primacy.40 The Church was ordering itself in preparation for reform, embracing centralization,
and asserting its authority more than ever before. Unforeseen was the formidable challenge that
would present itself in the form of Germanic custom and tradition intertwined with feudalism.
40
Stefan Weinfurter, The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition, trans. Barbara M.
Bowlus (1991; repr., Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999), 144.