Dictatus Papæ

The Dictatus papæ is a whole of 27 proposals, published in 1075 by the Pape Gregoire VII, pope who gave his name to the Gregorian Réforme. It is a major work of the canonical Droit to the Moyen-âge, which aims at establishing the absolute Monarchie Christ on the whole of the world ( dominium mundi ), and thus that of its vicar, the Pape.

Broad outlines of the text

The Dictatus papae is the heir to the sums of large canonists of the 11th century like Anselme de Lucques, Bonizo de Sutri and especially the cardinal Deusdedit.

The decrees of the Dictatus papæ are the following:

the Roman Église was rested by the Lord alone.
Seul the Roman pontiff is known as rightly universal.
Seul, it can deposit or to exonerate the bishop S.
His Légat, in a Concile, is above all the bishops, even if it is lower to them by ordination, and it can deposit against them a sentence of deposition.
the pope can deposit the absent ones.
With respect to those which were excommunicated by him, one cannot inter alia things live under the same roof.
Only, it can, wherever appropriate, establish new laws, bring together new people “of new parishes”, to transform collegial into Abbaye, to divide one évêché rich or to link the évêchés poor ones.
Only, it can use of the imperial badges.
the pope is the only man of which all the princes kiss the feet.
It is only whose name is pronounced in all the churches.
Its name is single in the world.
It is allowed to him to deposit the emperors.
It is allowed to him to transfer the bishops from a seat to another, according to the need.
It has the right to order to a clerk of any church, where it wants.
That which was ordered by him can control the church of another but not make the war; it should not receive from another bishop a higher rank.
No Synode can be called general without his order.
No text canonical exists apart from its authority.
Its sentence should be reformed by nobody and only it can reform the sentence of all.
It should be judged by nobody.
Nobody can condemn that which calls upon the apostolic Seat.
the causæ raise any church must be carried in front of him.
the Roman Church wandered forever; and according to the testimony of the Writing, she will never wander.
the Roman pontiff, canonically ordered, is undoubtedly by the merits of holy Pierre established in holiness, with the testimony of saint Ennodius, bishop of Pavia, agreement with many Pères as one can see it in the decree of the happy pope Symmaque.
On its order and with its assent, the vassal ones can carry charges.
the pope can deposit and exonerate the bishops in the absence of synod.
That which is not with the Roman Church is not regarded as catholic.
the pope can untie the subjects of the oath of fidelity makes with the unjust ones.

Political significance

In the Dictatus papae , the unit of the Christian company is cemented by the faith. The laic order has of another function only the execution of the commands formulated by the clergy and its absolute master, the pope, the vicar of Christ. So this one is the only legitimate holder of the Empire. It can delegate this power to the sovereigns and take again his delegation. The emperor is not thus any more the co-operator of the pope, but his subordinate. Because of their political scope, the decrees were published neither in the Holy roman Empire, neither in Spain, nor in England.

See too

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