Synod of Pavia condemns clerical marriage

1022

Pope Benedict VIII and Emperor Henry II convened German and Italian bishops to legislate against priestly wives and concubines. Enforcement would lag for decades, but the synod marked a turning point in the campaign to remake the Western clergy as a celibate caste distinct from the laity. Children of priests were declared serfs of the Church, a measure designed to prevent hereditary claims on church property.