Pope Gregory VII also tried to improve the Church’s ability to provide spiritual guidance to the faithful.
Not only did 12th century popes adapt the reform ideals of Pope Gregory VII, but increased the political power of Popes as well.
During the papacy of Pope Innocent III in the 1200s, the Catholic Church reached the height of its political power.
To achieve his political ends, Innocent used the spiritual weapons at his command.
His favorite was the interdict.
An interdict forbids priests from giving sacraments (Christian rites) of the Church to a particular group of people.
The goal was to cause the people under interdiction, who were deprived of the comforts of religion, to exert pressure against their ruler.
With an interdict, Innocent III forced the king of France, Philip Augustus, to take back his wife after Philip had tried to have his marriage annulled.