Digital Continent Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 2016 | Page 35

28 He and his predecessors associated themselves as ruler with the royalty and figure of Christ. Parallels have been drawn between his actions at Sutri with that of Christ cleansing the Temple. As ruler he claimed for himself the authority to correct the Church when necessary even at its highest levels.60 It is Henry III who “symbolizes theocratic rule, the guidance of church and state as a single entity by the divinely elected, anointed emperor described by many as vicarious Christi”61: the Vicar of Christ. He ruled over all of earthly creation and typified Christ the heavenly king. Religious and political objectives were tightly bound together and he found Henry III himself on the side of reform, sharing the opinion of the reformers on simony and supporting the efforts of the Church to end it, without sacrificing the dependence of the abbeys on the Empire. Free abbatial elections were allowed but bestowal of the dignity on the abbot-elect was reserved for the emperor only.62 60 Ibid., 89-91. 61 Blumenthal, The Investiture Controversy, 49. 62 Ibid., 49-50.