Digital Continent Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 2016 | Page 61

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St. Siricius in 385 addressed the issue
of the primacy of the papacy and the obligations
it imposed when he conveyed in his epistle
Directa ad decessorum to Bishop Himerius of
Terracina that the papacy, “upon whom greater
zeal for the Christian religion is incumbent”,
did not have the freedom to remain silent on
Church matters. The Apostle Peter, who continued to guide and work through the heirs to his
Holy See, carried the load of all who were burdened, which included protection with regard to
the handling of his administration.116 Thus it was incumbent upon Pope Gregory VII to “Cry
aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the
house of Jacob their sins” [Isaiah 58:1]. As St. Siricius had clearly written, it was the pope’s
duty to remain steadfast in his obligation to carry the cause of reform forward, within the
framework of the authority of the papacy, instructing and correcting indiscriminately, whenever
necessary.
Avidly pursuing reform and insisting upon compliance, Pope Gregory was and continues
to be unjustly accused of seeking temporal power for the papacy. Against such claims, his
relationship with William the Conqueror serves as defense. King William of England was not a
religious man. However, he was a supporter of peace, did not sell churches, refused alliances
with the enemies of Christ, and opposed clerical marriage. Such actions merited for him a
greater level of papal approval despite his refusal to swear fealty to the pope. He and Gregory
VII remained on good terms and the pope was forgiving of many of the king’s questionable

116

Denzinger, 36-37.