Pope Benedict XII's Résumé

From his beginnings as a bishop and persecutor of heretics, Jacques Fournier was enthroned as Pope Benedict XII in January 1335. Although his election was a surprise, he turned out to be an efficient and dedicated administrator, reforming the Church and the religious orders.

One of his first moves was to enforce the law of residence, that clerics needed to reside in the benefices of which they had charge. Many clerics preferred to neglect and delegate their duties, choosing instead the life of leisure and political maneuvering at the papacy in Avignon. Benedict sent home all clerics whose presence in Avignon was unnecessary.

He also reversed the practice of giving the profits of benefices as gifts to those who had nothing to do with them. He was so careful about assigning parishes and dioceses that some went vacant longer than was helpful. He avoided nepotism in his own family, only promoting one family member, and that only at the insistence of several cardinals. A later bishop (not a contemporary) reported that Benedict said (regarding nepotism) that "a pope should be like Melchisedech, without father, mother, or genealogy."

As a Cistercian, he promoted monastic simplicity and study, visiting monasteries to urge them to keep to their humble origins.

The French wanted the papacy to remain in Avignon. Looking back at Benedict's actions, we cannot accurately say what his personal wishes were. He ordered the repair and renovation of the basilicas of St. Peter and the Lateran in Rome. He also began construction of the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Supposedly he wanted to compromise between the Avignon/Rome debate and make a move to Bologna (approximately halfway between Rome and Avignon, if you don't think about the mountains to cross).

Although French, Benedict did not show any particular favor to King Philip VI. He did request Philip's aid in policing the western Mediterranean because of conflicts between Aragon and Genoa, Naples and Sicily, which were hindering the ability to launch a successful Crusade. 1336 was the sixth year of a crusading tithe to collect money to finance another Crusade. Benedict cancelled the tithe in December, seeing that there was too much unrest in Christendom to be able to mount an efficient campaign. A few months later there was another test of his negotiating skills that failed.

Trouble was brewing between England and France in the 1330s. Ever since 1066 when William the Conqueror became King of England while still being one of the largest landowners in France, the question of English control of French real estate had caused friction between the two kingdoms. On 24 March, 1337, King Philip VI of France took over the English-held duchy of Guyenne, sparking an increase in hostility.

Benedict did his best to talk Philip out of starting a war with England. He wanted peace in Christendom, and it looked less and less likely that he could count on it. His pleas to Philip were ignored, and so the Hundred Years War started, causing many thousands of deaths over the next century plus.

He was only pope for about seven years, dying 25 April, 1342. He was succeeded by Clement VI, whom we shall look at next.