The following is the text of Dictatus Papae (1075) which affirms the supreme authority of the pope:
(1) The Roman Church was founded by God alone.
(2) The Roman Pontiff alone can with right be
called "Universal".
(3) He alone can depose or reinstate bishops.
(4) In council, his Legate, even if a lower grade,
is above all bishops and can pass sentence of deposition against them.
(5) The Pope may depose the absent.
(6) Among other things, we ought not to remain in
the same house with those excommunicated by him.
(7) For him alone is it lawful, according to the
needs of the time, to make new laws, to assemble together new congregations, to
make an abbey of a canonry, and, on the other hand, to divide a rich bishopric
and unite the poor ones.
(8) He alone may use the Imperial Insignia.
(9) All princes shall kiss the feet of the Pope
alone.
(10) His name alone shall be spoken in the
churches.
(11) This is the only name in the world.
(12) It may be permitted to him to depose
emperors.
(13) It may be permitted to him to transfer
bishops, if need be.
(14) He has the power to ordain the clerk of any
parish he wishes.
(15) He who is ordained by the Pope may preside
over another church, but may not hold a subordinate position. Such a person may
not receive a higher clerical grade from any other bishop.
(16) No synod shall be called a 'General Synod'
without his order.
(17) No chapter and no book shall be considered
canonical without his authority.
(18) A sentence passed by him may be retracted by
no one. He alone may retract it.
(19) He himself may be judged by no one.
(20) No one shall dare to condemn any person who
appeals to the Apostolic Chair.
(21) The more important cases of every church
should be referred to the Apostolic See.
(22) The Roman Church has never erred. Nor will it
err, to all eternity--Scripture being witness.
(23) The Roman Pontiff, if he has been canonically
ordained, is undoubtedly made a saint by the merits of St. Peter, St. Ennodius
Bishop of Pavia bearing witness, and many holy fathers agreeing with him. As it
is contained in the decrees of Pope St. Symmachus.
(24) By his command and consent, it may be lawful
for subordinates to bring accusations.
(25) He may depose and reinstate bishops without
assembling a Synod.
(26) He who is not at peace with the Roman Church
shall not be considered 'catholic'.
(27) He may absolve subjects from their fealty to
wicked men.
For those curious, here is
some information concerning Dictatus Papae:
The
extent of papal authority. What were the claims of the
pope? These are found in the document called the Dictatus Papae in the form of a short list of propositions. They
are generally accepted as expressing Gregory’s thought. All were more or less
“traditional,” except the power to depose emperors and kings. But the power of
the document consists in the placing together in a terse direct form a whole
series of scattered claims from different times. Together the propositions add
up to something close to absolute authority over church and ultimately society.
It should not be assumed, however, that all of these claims were universally
accepted.(Roger Haith, Historical Ecclesiology, 2 vols. [Christian
Community in History; London: Bloomsbury, 2014], 1:294)
Dictates
of Pope Gregory (Dictatus
papæ, Dictatus Gregorii VII, Dictatus Hildebrandini), a title given to
twenty-seven theses, in which Gregory VII (Hildebrand) is said to have set
forth the grounds and principles of the supremacy and power of the pope in
relation to the Church and to secular governments. They are contained in lib.
ii of his letters, between the 55th and the 56th epistles, and also in Harduin,
Concil. tom. vi, p. i, p. 1304 sq.
“Baronius, ann. 1076, no. 31, and Christ. Lupus, in Notis et Dissertt., consider these genuine; the French writers, Jo.
Launoius, Epistol. lib. vi, ep. 13,
Anton. Pagi, crit. in Baron, l. c.,
and especially Natalis Alexander, Hist.
Eccl. sæc. xi et xii, dissert. iii, set them down, not indeed as spurious,
but as really inconsistent with Gregory’s principles. The more modern
authorities, following Mosheim, suppose them to express Gregory’s principles,
though written by some one else. They seem to have been an Index Capitulorum of
some synod held under Gregory’s influence” (Gieseler, Ch. Hist. div. iii, § 47). The dictates themselves are as follows:
1. The Roman Church was founded by the Lord alone. 2. The bishop of Rome only
is properly termed the universal bishop. 3. He only can appoint or depose a
bishop. 4. The papal legate has the right to preside in all Church assemblies,
even though he is not the equal in rank of the bishops, and he may pronounce
sentence of deposition upon them. 5. The pope may deprive absent bishops also
of their rank. 6. No person is permitted to occupy the same house with a person
excommunicated by the pope. 7. The pope only is qualified to issue new laws
whenever circumstances demand it, to organize new congregations, to change a
cathedral into an abbey, to divide a rich see, or to contract several
impoverished sees into one. 8. He only has power to make use of the imperial
insignia. 9. Princes must kiss the feet of the pope only. 10. Only his name is
to be recited in the churches. 11. The name and title of pope apply to one
person only. 12. He is empowered to depose the emperor. 13. He may translate
bishops from one see to another. 14. He can ordain the clergymen of all
churches. 15. A clergyman that has been ordained by him may serve with other
churches, but no other bishop has the right to appoint him to a superior
position. 16. The pope only has power to pronounce a council œcumenical. 17. No
chapter nor book of the holy Scriptures may be declared canonical without his
sanction. 18. No person can overthrow his decisions; but he, on the other hand,
may subvert the judgments of all men. 19. No person can judge him. 20. None may
dare to condemn him who appeals to the apostolical chair. 21. All matters of
consequence in any church must be reported to him. 22. The Romish Church has
never erred, and, according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures, will not
err to all eternity. 23. If the pope was canonically elected (i.e. according to
the rules of the Church), he infallibly becomes a holy man, through the merits
of St. Peter. 24. Inferiors (subjects) may complain of their superiors with the
permission of the pope. 25. The pope may depose a bishop, and reappoint him,
without convoking a synod. 26. One who is not agreed with the Romish Church
does not belong to the Catholic (orthodox) Church. 27. The pope may release
subjects from their fealty to wicked rulers. (The original Latin is given in
Gieseler, Church History, div. iii, §
47). (John M’Clintock and James Strong, “Dictates of Pope Gregory,”
in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature [New
York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1891], 787).
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