Archbishop of Cologne and regent of the Holy Empire, Saint Annon fought against the moral decadence of the clergy and strongly defended the reform advocated by the monk Hildebrand, future Pope Saint Gregory VII.
Newsroom (28/08/2022 2:30 PM, Gaudium Press) Born in 1010 to a noble family in Bavaria, South Germany, Saint Annon studied in the diocesan school of Bamberg where, after being ordained priest, he became a teacher. Of stately bearing, he was a great orator and possessed the art of conversation.
His lectures, as well as his prose, held the attention of all who heard him, admiring not only his science but also the orthodoxy of his thought. The mildness of his manner and his extraordinary energy commanded respect and veneration from all.
Defence of the ecclesiastical celibacy and condemnation of simony
Appointed Archbishop of Cologne, he stood out for his defence of ecclesiastical celibacy and condemnation of simony, advocating the restoration of the clergy, which was called the “Gregorian Reformation” because its soul was St. Gregory VII.
In December 1058, Nicholas II was elected Pope, and soon after, he decreed that the election of the Pontiffs would be done by the College of Cardinals.
The Roman nobility revolted. And the opponents of the Gregorian Reformation managed to convince Empress Agnes, mother of Henry IV – who was then a child – that she should not accept the decree.
Soon after, Nicholas II died, and the monk Hildebrand caused the Sacred College to elevate Alexander II to the papal throne. The episcopate of Lombardy and some German bishops, with the acquiescence of the Empress, elected the Bishop of Parma (Northern Italy) as antipope.
Empress Agnes’ Penance
A large part of Germany and Lombardy as well as many Roman nobles supported the antipope. It was at this crucial moment that St. Annon decided to intervene. He arranged with some German nobles a coup d’état.
On October 27, 1062, he convened a synod in the city of Cologne, of which he was archbishop, and as regent of the Holy Empire – Henry IV was only 12 years old – he accepted the decree of Nicholas II and recognized the election of Alexander II, who could take possession of Rome. The Gregorian Reformation was saved.
A few years later, Empress Agnes regretted what she had done. One day, Rome was surprised to see a spectacle only possible in the Middle Ages: the Empress stood at the gates of the city, dressed as a penitent, barefoot, with a rope around her neck, asking permission to enter and ask forgiveness from the Holy Father for all she had done. She was received by Cardinal San Pedro Damiano, who absolved her of all her sins and, having entered a convent, became her confessor.
After executing the debauchery into which Henry IV had sunk, Saint Annon resigned from his position at court and returned to Cologne, where he continued his archiepiscopal ministry. Shortly thereafter, he went to live in a monastery near that city.
The wicked Henry IV planned to kill him through two of the archbishop’s servants, who were paid to do so. Although the murder did not take place, St. Annon was stricken with a terrible stomach ulcer which caused sores all over his body. In intense suffering, he died on December 4, 1075.
The Sacred College: an aristocracy within the Church
Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira[1] made comments on these issues, which we summarize below.
Saint Annon was a man of a pleasant manner, but he knew how to be energetic when necessary. The truly pleasant manner is not that of a clown telling jokes, but an elevated, noble relationship which, at the same time, distracts, pleases, and leaves the person dignified, and ennobled.
Before St. Gregory VII, the Church went through enormous vacillations, crises, and tremendous moral depressions. And these moral crises were all counteracted by the Gregorian Reform movement, which St. Gregory VII, then cardinal, imposed through several popes who were his disciples, and then himself, elevated to the Pontificate, with energy not exceeded and perhaps not equalled, brought to its perfection.
This restoring movement, one of the greatest that there has been within the Church, is usually called the Gregorian Reformation. And it was the glory of St. Annon to have cooperated in this reformation.
A very important question was at stake. The election of the Pope has always been one of the decisive elements in world politics, all the more so in the Middle Ages, when the world was much more Catholic than today and, therefore, much more sensitive to any thought, will, pronouncement or act of the Supreme Pontiff.
Who would elect him? One school of thought claimed that the clergy and nobility of Rome were qualified to do so; another thought that the Pope should be chosen by the Sacred College of Cardinals.
It was not against the divine institution that the Pope was elected by the nobles and clergy of Rome. Canon Law can attribute such a faculty to them and also to the Roman people. But to better ensure the election of a Pope worthy of the office, it was much preferable then – and is so in normal times – that the choice be made by the Sacred College, for this represents an aristocracy, an elite within the Church, is a collection of clerics considered more eminent, preclear and secure by previous Pontiffs.
On the other hand, the Roman nobles were lords of small fiefs on the outskirts of Rome, who often warred for their interests. There was a risk that they would choose a Pope according to their personal or family convenience.
Sense of the gravity of sin
We are impressed by the beautiful attitude taken by the empress. She wanted to perform a public act of reparation because the public had been her sin. She understood the gravity of her offence to God.
Today, the sense of the gravity of sin is gone. People are not logical, they lack coherence, and they have no living Faith. They only remember sin to say that it will be forgiven, and they only remember forgiveness so that they can sin more quietly. This is the mentality of contemporary man.
What is the cause of this difference in attitude? Ultimately, this is the effect of the Gnostic and egalitarian Revolution. It is this that exacerbates in man the pride, the will not to recognize the seriousness of sins and not to do penance, creating the state of hardness that we see so widespread today.
The memorial of Saint Annon is celebrated on December 4th.
By Paulo Francisco Martos
Notions of Church History
[1] CORREA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Saint Annon: energy and astuteness. In Dr. Plinio. São Paulo. Year XVIII, n. 213 (December 2015) p. 24-29.
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
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