Catholic Thought discussion

Moving on in our journey....

Mike and Galicus, thank you for your interesting recaps of our last chapters. There was a lot going on. I wanted to touch on some things, but my car was hit in the driveway by my housemate looking at our Christmas lights....go figure....so last week was a wash with other issues to boot. I'll try to go back later and add in a few more comments.

It feels so shocking to hear of Peayo's son, Fafila, being killed by a bear after so many battles, behind-the-scenes murders, and conquests. It was a harsh reminder of how dangerous life could be then, and today if one wanted to live in a cave I suppose. Pepin moves into focus after his schooling under St. Boniface like a breath of fresh air. I got chills as Charlemagne enters the scene.

I don't want to go through every detail, but the Lombards were certainly ruthless, cruel people and it was difficult to hear of the ravaging of Ravenna and other important places. Meanwhile, the Muslims stormed the Middle East, had their own backstabbing issues, and we see the same pattern that we have seen already - all members of a family were deemed necessary to be murdered, yet one escaped.....and it mattered...a lot. Abdurrahman went on to become the ruler of Muslim Spain.

We see yet another Papal mystery - Pope Stephen III moving in after a same namesake died 3 days after election, but before consecration. This Stephen was Roman born and bred, friends with Popes Gregory III and Zachary. The Lombards agree to a peace treaty....with strings and threats. The Byzantines turn a cold shoulder in his time of need, so he appealed to King Pepin. Pepin sends an escort for the Pope to journey to France. One last pit stop to appeal to the Lombard ruler Aistulf. They barely get out of there and back on the road. They cross the Alps, and you just know that had to be a difficult journey without fancy winter coats!!! When I remember my winter in Cleveland with the best LL Bean and Lands End could offer, my heart goes out to this man.

After a stay in the monastery of St. Maurice in Switzerland, they resume the journey and we see this very touching moment in time where along the shores of Lake Geneva, north of France, Stephen III meets Abbot Fulrad who accompanies him to Ponthion to meet Pepin. Pope Stephen III is the first Pope to visit France and immediately meets an 11 year old Prince Charles, soon to become King of the Franks, later to become the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne!

The entire journey in the Alps and this meeting felt so touching to me. It was so incredibley comforting to see Christians reaching out to help one another, going out of their way to do so. After so much disrespect to Popes, we see a very respectful meeting with and ceremony on the Feast of the Epiphany.

I need to run to mass. Will resume later today or tonight!!!! Gotta go!

Chapter 11: “A King for France” (733-772)

Thank you Leslie for your comments. It’s interesting to compare readings because we all tend to see events that others don’t see as more important.

This chapter deals with France after Charles Martel stopped the Moslems from further penetration into Europe, and expelled them from Southern Frankish lands, and after the Byzantine Empire grew more apart from the Roman Church.
When Charles Martel died in 741 he left two sons, Carloman and Pepin, both of whom received good education in abbeys and significantly, Carroll tells us, considered themselves Catholics first and Franks second. Their father was a great warrior but the Church worsened under him as the “Mayor of the Palace”, the acting ruler behind the king.

While the two sons convened a Church council of Frankish lands the behavior of one of them was not Christian. Carloman entrapped and massacred thousands of Alemanni, Franks’ historical enemies from the East. He repented as Emperor Theodosius had done after the atrocity he ordered in Thessalonica, given in the beginning of this volume (pp. 61-64). Carloman resigned from his dual role in governing France with his brother, and Charles Martel’s second son Peppin becomes a king of all Franks and is anointed by St. Boniface in 751.

Pope Stephen II had a big problem with the Lombards and appealed to Peppin for help. Peppin sent a delegation to escort the Pope to France in winter over the Alps. (Peppin’s son Charlemagne was at the time being raised a Catholic.) The Pope stayed with the Franks near Paris. The Franks fought the Lombards, subdued them and Pope Stephen II or III (Carroll calls him Stephen III because he counts the previous Pope elect who lived three days after his election and never took office) returned to Rome in 754. The Lombards however did not stay true to the peace with the Franks and invaded Rome, pillaged and burned the Papal State. The Byzantines tried to bribe the Franks to a deal to regain their lost lands in the West that they could not defend against the Lombards but Peppin remained true to the Church, marched against the Lombard ruler who surrendered again. Peppin’s actions are startling for a ruler of the Dark Ages. He assisted the Pope without any gain in land or treasury--acted completely unselfishly.

Catholic king Alfonso of the Asturias, Northernmost Spain, fought the first effort in the five hundred year struggle to reconquer Spain from the Moors. He managed to rescue thousands of Catholics to migrate to the North with his army.

Constantine V, the eastern emperor persecuted orthodox Christians on the issue of images and then began a new heresy against the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Rome at this time in 768 had some frightening horrors with different parties fighting to install their own individuals as popes. The Lombards come back to Rome and added to the fury. Carrolls calls the legitimate pope of this year Stephen IV who remained silent on what was going on in Rome a “coward” (p. 300). Nevertheless the pope convened a synod in the Lateran in which a priest Christopher had major influence. This Christopher was very active in the political affairs during the immediate previous terror in Rome and also in the period that followed. A new pope Hadrian I was elected to bring some order in the madness.

When king Pepin died he divided the Frankish lands between his two sons Carloman and Charles. Carloman died young in 771 and Charles was declared ruler of all of France.

Pepin really impressed me with his altruism as well. And King Alfonso was indeed quite brave. What a battle he embarked on! There have been so many turning points for our faith when all could have been lost!

And then, it's like finger nails on the chalkboard....Constantine V attacking icons and then...MARY!!! WTH!!!

What a freaking mess! I cannot even begin to image how crazy life must have been in those times. Thank you Gallicus for the thoughtful synopsis.

King Alfonso II of Asturias, also known as Alfonso the Chaste, was the individual responsible for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (The journey is also known as The way of Saint James or the Camino de Santiago.) According to legend, Alfonso found the tomb and the remains of James the Greater in Compostela. At the end of chapter 12, Dr. Carroll writes that Alfonso rebuilt the church in Oviedo that was destroyed by the Muslims. The church was originally built by King Fruela, Alfonso's father. The name of the Church is San Salvador and the church was rebuilt around 1550 and stands to this day.

The traditional start of the route for the Camino de Santiago begins in the city of Oviedo, which was the capital city created by Alfonso II. Dr. Carrol also mentions that a plaque was found near the church and in the inscription Alfonso II requests that he be remembered and that the sacrifice of the Mass was to be offered for his soul at least once a week (page 321). I wonder if the mass is still being offered today for the soul of Alfonso the Chaste in the Church of San Salvador?

I just started reading chapter 13 and the story of the discovery of St. James (Santiago) is on page 339.

Chapter 12 “An Emperor for Christendom” (773-814)

Charles becomes “the Great” after he defeats the Lombards to put an end to their incursions into Italy, and the belligerent Saxons. His sortie into Spain becomes a misadventure and is complicated politically. He goes in at the request of a Muslim who is involved in a civil struggle with other Moslems. Pope Hadrian
Urges him also but the Spanish do not welcome him and consider him another invader. There is also no significant figurehead in Northern Spain to speak for the Spanish—none in the Asturias. The Basques have an agenda of their own.
Charlemagne’s rearguard army is defeated on its retreat through the Pyrenees. His military companion Roland is killed. A medieval legend later grows about Roland and the epic “Song of Roland”--oldest major literary work in France.

Charles’ struggle with the Saxons continued until he had 4500 nobles massacred and the Saxon king converted. Charles also persuaded scholar Alcuin of York to come to his seat of government to improve education.

The Eastern Church continued to wrangle over the iconoclast issue. Empress Irene succeeded in organizing a synod to iron out the differences between Rome and Constantinople. Pope Hadrian sends delegates but the synod refuses to agree about removing the title “universal patriarch” from the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Catholics in Spain under Moslem rule grow apart and under the influence of Moslem theology a new heresy developed that regarded Jesus as God’s “adopted” son. More significantly, there was renewed armed struggle with the occupying Moslems. Kingdom of Asturias is destroyed but the king retreats into the Pyrenees heights--as Pelayo did--survives and even pushes back to reclaim his land when the Moslem ruler dies suddenly and there is dispute over his succession.

I can’t help being shocked by the atrocious acts that happened regularly during these times. Men are blinded, tongues are cut, and assassinations are orders of the day. This is going on among Christians and by Christians. Byzantine empress Irene is resentful of losing power to her son Constantine IV and has him entrapped, deposed, and blinded which kills him. In Rome a religious procession is attacked in the streets, the leading priest is stripped, blinded, left lying bloody, while the attendants all flee.

Charlemagne emerged as the champion and guardian of the Western Church by year 798. He moved in to protect the new Pope Leo III. The Pope had enemies who spread rumors about his character and behavior. Charlemagne traveled in Rome to clear this, and bring the Pope’s attackers to justice. Pope Leo III declared before assembly in St. Peter’s he is innocent of rumors spread about him. This was an unusual step and he stated he is doing it of his own free will and not setting any precedent for future pontiffs. The assembly also called on Charlemagne to accept the title of Emperor of the lands from Paris to Rome of which he was in fact the emperor. He accepted and Pope Leo crowned him as such on Christmas day 800 and it was to be a different kind of empire. He would not rule the Church and the Pope would not rule the empire. During the remaining 13 years of his life Charlemagne struggled with the Moors, Saxons, and a new threat, the Vikings from Denmark who became a new menace to Christendom attacking it from the North Sea and down the Atlantic coast. Three of Charlemagne’s children preceded him in their young age.