From the desk of the pastor for Oct. 12, 2025

The Lord be with you! Did you know that for 67 years the Papacy was not in Rome? Today we go over an odd episode of our history: the Avignon Papacy. Resolved partly due to St. Catherine of Siena, it marks nearly a hundred years of intense political intrigue.

In 1305 AD Pope Clement V was elected, and he had problems. Over the previous decade a feud had developed between the Papacy and the French Crown. At one point friends of the king had broken into the papal residence and beat up Pope Boniface VIII! Boniface died shortly thereafter and was succeeded by Benedict XI, who attempted to calm matters down. Tragically, he died in under a year. Accordingly, when Clement V was elected in 1305 he feared both the supporters of the king in Rome and the powerful Roman families who opposed them. His solution was simple: leave town.

Relocating the papal court first to Poitiers in France, eventually Clement settled in Avignon, which was French but not part of France. The Kingdom of Avignon was then an independent realm within the Holy Roman Empire, which was based out of Germany. Nevertheless, feeling the pressure of France, the Avignon Popes had no intention of upsetting the King of France. During this period Clement V and John XXII consolidated and centralized a number of Church functions directly under the pope. Along with all this power came wealth that had not been part of the papal court in Rome.

During this time the Papal States remained the Pope’s direct secular holdings. Comprising some of central Italy, the Papal States behaved like the other small states of Italy: near constant warfare and political maneuverings. Here St. Catherine of Siena comes onto the scene. Catherine had become famous in Siena for her piety and charitable works, which in turn led her to becoming an ambassador to neighboring city states. For a few years she traveled about central and northern Italy advocating for the Church and her hometown. At this time she also began writing her letters, including some to the pontiff.

While in Avignon on behalf of Florence, St. Catherine met and talked with Pope Gregory XI. How influential Catherine’s visit and earlier letters were is disputed by scholars to this day. What is not in dispute is that Pope Gregory was back in Rome with his court in January 1377, ending the Avignon Papacy.

St. Catherine would go on to found a monastery for women and continue writing her Dialogues. She would die young at the age of 33. Pope Gregory would die violently in 1378 in a riot. Whether the violence was planned or erupted spontaneously is not known. For the next forty years the Church would suffer through the Western Schism. But that is a story for another article.

In His Sacred Heart,
Fr. John