The decrees of the Councils of Mentz and Mayence against Mezerai's account of the great ignorance of the French bishops and clergy THE NINTH CENTURY. Great corruption of the English people Hoveden Great contentions in the Eastern Church about images Under the pressure of persecution a great apostasy from the faith in Spain Distracted state of the French Church Great moral corruption in Belgic Gaul. A schism between the Greek and Roman Churches Confession of the Council of St. Macara of the general sin- priestly immorality PAGE. 137 139 140 Fleuri's account of the moral corruption at Rome 146 147 Some of the Italian bishops appear in arms Denina 148 up on all sides in the Roman Church 149 The outrage committed by Pope Stephen VII. upon the corpse of Pope Formosus 149 Some of the religious controversies of this century Genebrard says, that for about 150 years, of fifty Popes, all but five of them were apostatical, rather than apostolical Baronius shews that the Papal succession from St. Peter was completely destroyed 152 152 An account of the wicked Pope Servius from Labbæus' 153 Councils The corrupt state of the French Church in the tenth Century 154 Disorderly state of the French monasteries Immorality of the French priests Gross French episcopal and clerical ignorance 155 156 157 157 158 Labbæus 160 The general ignorance in Italy and its evil consequences The Roman Council in which John XII. was deposed for immorality and sacrilege The epistle of the above Council to John XII., in which they accuse him of homicide, perjury, and incest The Roman Council called by John XII. which denounces the above Council Pope Benedict VI. is strangled by Boniface, a cardinal, who sat as Pope for a year and one month Baronius calls those who occupied the Papal chair in this century robbers and highwaymen . Great clerical immorality, especially of the Italian Clergy Immorality of the English Clergy THE ELEVENTH CENTURY. PAGE. 160 163 163 165 167 Dupin 168 Labbæus 169 Schism in the Roman See Baronius' account of the Papal Cerberus Dupin 170 172 Great tumult at the election of Pope Alexander II. Dupin 173 Great ignorance of the clergy Fleury 173 174 Great simony among Roman ecclesiastics Extracts from Pope Alexander II.'s letters descriptive of Great decline of piety among the English before the Norman (William of Malmesbury and Henry of Huntingdon) 178 Baronius compares the Roman clergy to foxes, wolves, lions, and scorpions Gregory VIIth's picture of the corruption of the Church Gregory VIIth's description of the corruption in France Waltram, bishop of Naumberg's account of the evils arising from the disputes between the Pope and German Emperor Genebrard's account of priestly depravity The Bishop of Mans' description of the Court of Rome Rome and Italy infested by cut-throats (William of Malmesbury) 186 Muratori proves that Gregory VI. obtained the Popedom by simony He shews that simony was general throughout Italy 187 188 Character of the eleventh Century from the "Giornale de' letterati" Outrage and tumult at Milan, the Archbishop was bastinadoed The Council of Clairemont enjoins priestly celibacy and fasting PAGE. 190 191 THE CORRUPTIONS OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY. St. Bernard depicts the incapacity and ambition of the clergy 191 St. Bernard's account of the horrid and disgusting depravity of the clergy St. Bernard's description of the luxury and vanity of the His description of the pomp of the Abbots The general prevalence of simony in the French Church Baronius Baronius The unhappy state of the Norman Church Indiscipline in the Irish Church for fifteen generations 192 194-5 196 . 197 197 198 199 Baronius 199 Many of the Roman Cardinals were bribed by the King of St. Thomas (a Becket) says that every one of the great men The venality of the priests and indiscipline of the monasteries Honorius Augustodunensis calls Rome, Babylon John of Salisbury's character of the Roman Church The corrupt state of Christianity at Jerusalem Certain of the English priests return to their wives and Conciliar decrees against clerical immorality The second General Council of Lateran issues a decree against priests who were married or had concubines 207 The ordinations of the Antipope Peter Leo and others are declared to be void PAGE. The ordinations of Octavian declared to be void by the The decree of the third General Council of Lateran against 208 immoral priests 208 The general prevalence of dissensions and scandals in Chris tendom Labbæus 208 209 Simony and other abuses in Sweden and Gothland 210 211, 212, 213 Evils resulting from these schisms in Germany, scarcely St. Bernard's description of the evils of these schisms Baronius' account of the schism and mutual Papal excom munications, an. 1159 Evils of the schisms as related, Labbæus' Councils THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY. Innocent III. laments the corruption of the clergy and Church in general, an. 1215 223-4 Honorius III. laments the corruption of the clergy and the negligence of the prelates 225 Gregory IX. describes the evils under which the Church laboured Gregory IX. depicts the decrease of faith and the increase A dreadful heresy in Germany much respecting the irregular conduct of the prelates Awful description of the general corruption of the priests Pope Alexander IV. laments the corruption of the priests Grossetête's account of the gross ignorance of many of the priests 235 Pope Gregory X. speaks of the general subversion of morals in priests and people 236 At the second General Council of Lyons, the Pope says that 237 dom 237 PAGE. The Pope wishes to confer the best English benefices on Italians Fleury 238 Sad state of the Church in Germany The pride and avarice of the Pope Fleury 238 Fleury 240 Fleury 240 241 241 Disorders in the monasteries of Canterbury 243 Decay of faith and simony in the English Church The Church of Rome as a bold harlot sets everything Insatiable cupidity of the Roman Church 246 246 247 The King of France distrusts the avarice of the Pope 254 254 All respect for the Roman Church and the Papal Court 255 Disputes between the religious orders 255-6 Fleury's account of the misconduct of the religious orders 257-8 Muratori's description of the unhappy state of Italy and The Constitutions of the Bishop of Salisbury, an. 1217 261 262 The Council of Metz, an. 1225 263 The Council of Rouen, an. 1231 264 The Council of Sienna, an. 1239 Ancient precepts of the Diocese of Rouen, an. 1235 Constitutions of the Archbp. of Canterbury, an. 1236 The Synod of Worcester, an. 1240 Constitution for the diocese of Maestricht, an. 1247 |