Honorius and Conflicts, Part 1

Pope Honorius II (pictured) was aggressive about doing what he felt was right for the Church, which sometimes meant taking to task religious figures and orders. He distrusted the long-standing (established in 529CE) and widespread Bendictines. Although he favored newer orders like the Augustinians and Cistercians, and he formally recognized the new Templars, he felt the Benedictines needed correction.

This may have stemmed from his dislike of a single man, the abbot of Monte Casino, Oderisio di Sangro. When Honorius was still Lamberto Scannabecchi, the cardinal-bishop of Ostia, he had asked Oderisio for permission for Lamberto's entourage to stay at the church of Santa Maria in Pallara (on the Palatine Hill in Rome, it has since been renamed to San Sebastiano al Palatino). Oderisio refused the request.

In 1125, after Lamberto became pope in a very unorthodox manner, Oderisio refused a request for financial support, and mocked Honorius' peasant origins. Honorius heard that Oderisio was enriching himself instead of improving Monte Cassino, publicly called him a thief and no monk, and summoned Oderisio to Rome. Oderisio refused to come to Rome. In total he refused three papal summons. Honorius deposed him as abbot in 1126.

Oderisio ignored the decision and continued acting as abbot, so Honorius excommunicated him. Oderisio ignored the excommunication, and fortified the monastery because he knew what was coming: papal soldiers. The townspeople of Cassino took matters into their own hands, choosing to side with their pope, and forced their way into the monastery and forced Oderisio out of office. The monks elected the dean of the monastery, Niccolo.

Honorius was not satisfied with this. He declared Niccolo's election improper (he was one to talk), and appointed another person to run Monte Cassino, which angered the monks. Supporters of Oderisio and Niccolo fought each other. Eventually Honorius managed to get Oderisio to step down. He excommunicated Niccolo to keep him out of the way. Honorius appointed the provost of a monastery at Capua, Seniorectus, to be abbot of Monte Cassino in September 1127. He also asked the monks to swear an oath of loyalty to the papacy, but that was a step too far for them.

With Monte Cassino settled down, Honorius had another conflict he just had to get himself involved in that span up a few months before the installation of Seniorectus. South of Monte Cassino, the Duke of Apulia died with no heir, and there was a scramble to occupy Apulia and Calabria. The man who tried to take over was about to run into papal problems. We'll see who won that conflict tomorrow.