Making his mark in the history of the Church by his determination, St. Anselm fought against the Bishops of England and the King himself, who had revolted against the Pope.
Newsroom (04/01/2023 9:50 PM, Gaudium Press ) Born into a wealthy and noble family, St. Anselm was born in Aosta (northwest Italy) in 1033. Because of ill-treatment by his father, he ran away from home in his adolescence, crossed the Alps on foot, and went to live in a town in Normandy, in Northern France, where he spent four years living a sinful life, and yet always keeping the faith.
At the age of 26, he received an immense grace and became a monk in the famous Abbey of Our Lady of Bec in Normandy. The abbey was directed by Blessed Lanfranc, a Benedictine monk, who was later the Archbishop of Canterbury, England. Anselm so excelled in the virtues that he became Prior and later, Abbot of the monastery.
Abbot of the Abbey of Our Lady of Bec
He devoted himself in a special way to the study of Theology. With the teachings he imparted, the school of the Abbey of Bec – established by Blessed Lanfranc – reached a great and full success, attracting people from various regions, among them many noblemen.
As the abbey owned some property in England, he travelled there several times, and was always visited by King William the Conqueror, who greatly admired him.
When King William the Conqueror died in 1087, his son and successor William II – the Redhead – began to take action against the Church. Whenever a bishop or abbot died, he seized the properties of dioceses and abbeys and would not allow their successors to be appointed without his approval, in imitation of the nefarious Henry IV, the excommunicated emperor.
The ‘Redhead’s’ main adviser was a priest, who later became bishop under pressure from the King. Blessed Lanfranc died in 1089 and the archdiocese of Canterbury was left vacant for four years.
Counsellor to the mother of Godfrey of Bouillon
In 1092, on his way to England, St. Anselm passed through Boulogne in northeastern France and spoke with St. Ida, mother of the great hero, Godfrey of Bouillon, who had led the First Crusade.
St. Anselm was the spiritual adviser of this noble lady who built several abbeys, donated her remaining possessions to the poor, and died in 1113 in a monastery she had founded.
William II declared that he himself would be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Soon afterwards, he became seriously ill and, for fear of hell, he repented of his sins, promising to return all the ecclesiastical goods he had stolen.
Knowing that St. Anselm was in England, he appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury. Because he refused the post, the Saint was brought to the bedridden king. The prelates present forcibly placed a pectoral cross in his right hand, shouted “Long live the bishop!” and sang the Te Deum; they then led him into a nearby church and ordained him Archbishop.
In December of 1093, he was solemnly consecrated in Canterbury Cathedral, becoming Primate of England, Scotland, Ireland and the adjacent islands.
Bishops supported the King in his revolt against the Pope
Having regained his health, William II relapsed into tyranny and ordered St. Anselm to hand over the lands of the Archdiocese of Canterbury to him. He even went so far as to deny the authority of Blessed Pope Urban II and advocate an antipope supported by the infamous Henry IV.
In March of 1095, St. Anselm held an assembly of bishops, abbots and princes at Rockingham Castle, the King’s residence, to proclaim obedience to the Pope; William the Redhead was present.
All the bishops, except one, shamefully supported the Monarch in his revolt against Blessed Urban II, but the nobles and all the people loudly manifested their fidelity to the true Pope.
This assembly has gone down in history under the title of the “Rockingham Drama”. Had it not been for the heroic fidelity of St. Anselm to the Pope, England would have been plunged into schism five centuries before the revolt of Henry VIII.
Preparing a ruse against St. Anselm, the wicked King sent two clerics to Rome to ask Blessed Urban II for the pallium that was to be given to the Archbishop. The pallium is a robe made of wool from lambs raised by Trappist monks, which symbolizes the union of the archbishops with the Pope.
Blessed Urban II appointed a bishop as legate to travel to England and clothe St. Anselm with the pallium. On arriving in that country, he visited ‘the Redhead’, who declared his support for Urban II, provided that St. Anselm was deposed. Faced with the legate’s refusal, the Monarch protested against the true Pope.
In June 1095, the Saint walked barefoot from his palace to Canterbury Cathedral, where the Papal Legate placed the pallium over him.
Welcomed by Blessed Urban II
Knowing that Blessed Urban II was to hold a council at Clermont, France, in order to preach for the Crusade against the Mohammedans, St. Anselm sent a monk there, who was his chief assistant, to represent him.
The wretched William II was opposed to the Crusades; when he learned that his brother Robert, Duke of Normandy, was engaged in it, he seized his lands.
St. Anselm asked the King for permission to go to Rome, but the latter would not allow it, imitating his father William the Conqueror, who had not allowed Blessed Lanfranc, former Archbishop of Canterbury, to go to the Eternal City.
The Saint faced a new battle, with only the barons, the people and the small group of his monks siding with him. Practically all of the bishops were against him.
After intense discussions, William II eventually allowed the journey, and in October 1097, St. Anselm’s first exile began. The King annulled all the benefits that had been granted to the Archdiocese of Canterbury, and seized its properties.
Accompanied by only two monks, St. Anselm arrived in France. In the regions where he travelled he was enthusiastically welcomed by all the people, to the sound of trumpets and chants; in front of the houses there were banners waving in the wind.
He made a point of visiting the Monastery of Cluny, where he was welcomed by the Abbot, St. Hugo. Walking the roads of Italy, he was attacked by bandits under the orders of Henry IV and the Antipope. From then on, to preserve his life, he disguised himself as a pilgrim. Finally, he arrived in Rome in April 1098 and was joyfully received by Blessed Urban II.
By Paulo Francisco Martos
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
