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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Marjorie Greene wrote: > (Quoting Melanie Peters)" 4. What was the status of Archbishop Stigand canonically as an Archbishop > who received his pallium from a deposed Pope, albeit one who wasn't deposed > at the time? In general would he have been considered an 'invalid' > incumbent?" > > I'm definitely no expert, but I think this issue involves the "ex opere > operato" standard. Unless, of course, the deposed pope had been deposed > because he wasn't really pope! If Stigand received his pallium from a man > who was pope at the time and the pope was later deposed for, say, moral > turpitude or the like, his status as bishop was secure, even if the pope > bought or stole his papal status. "Ex opere operato" certainly applies to Abp. Stigand's Ordination to the Episcopate. The _validity_ of his Episcopal Ordination is not questioned. He was Bishop of Earlham, then was translated to Winchester, and then was made Abp. of Canterbury. Certainly, Stigand was not a nice guy, but that is beside the question. We should note that the Catholic Encyclopedia's list of the Archbishops of Canterbury includes Stigand!!! And, that he was Abp. of Canterbury from 1052 to 1070! The See of Canterbury had become vacant, because of the trouble that his predecessor, Robert of Jumieges, got into. Robert was kicked out of England. (By the way, there is the Canonical "rule of thumb, "Odium Plebs." Leo IX held Robert to be the rightful Metropolitan of the See of Canterbury, so he (and the following two popes) did not recognize Stigand, to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. No one had been made Archbishop of Canterbury to contend with Stigand's claim. So, de facto and de jure, Stigand was the Archbishop of Canterbury. The fact that Benedict X sent Stigand a pallium in 1058, is interesting. Stigand had been Abp. of Canterbury for 6 years at that time. Whether Benedict X was or was not legitimately the Pope, he did send a pallium to a man who had been the Incumbent of the See of Canterbury for 6 years. Nicholas II became Pope in 1059. Of course, William and the Normans invaded and conquered England in 1066. I find it interesting that William, using the driving of Robert of Jumieges from the See of Canterbury, as a pretext for invading England, did not immediately restore Robert to the See of Canterbury. Robert didn't die until 1070. William had Abp. Stigand accompany him on a trip to Normandy, in 1067, as Archbishop of Canterbury. Under Nicholas II the Papal Legates deposed Stigand from the See of Canterbury, in 1070, and Stigand was imprisoned at Winchester until he died, in 1072, on either February 21st or February 22nd. So far as Stigand's being an "invalid incumbent," the question perhaps should be, rather, was Stigand an usurper of the See of Canterbury. Given that Benedict X and his two successors did not depose Stigand, I would conclude that Stigand (whether one liked him or not) must be seen to have been the lawful Archbishop of Canterbury and Metropolitan of All England. (Incidentally, the question should perhaps question the Regularity of Stigand's election, as opposed to its Validity.) Further, as we all know, William used his influence to have Lanfranc made Stigand's successor. William, however, was not the "rubber stamp" that William probably wanted him to be, and turned out to be a pretty good Abp. of Canterbury, however, he did needlessly quash some good Catholic practices of use in that Particular Church (using "Particular," in the canonical sense of the word), and substituted either Roman or Gallican usages, instead. Lanfranc, being very very Gallican even forced England to abandon using the Itala Psalter (the official _Roman_ psalter), and introduced the _Gallican_ psalter. I do think that Lanfranc colored the Church of England mightily, and I think that it is through his background and orientation, that much Benedictine usage became universal, in the Church of England. Terrill Heaps ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html