Pope and Confessor
His given name was Hildebrand. He was a monk and became one of the most distinguished Pontiffs, tireless defender of the freedom of the Church; for which he bear the hatred of the Gallicans, Caesarists and of all those who put the rights of Caesar above the rights of God. He fought tirelessly to restore the holy life of the clergy, purifying it of incontinence and simony; and to uproot this evil, he worked to wrest from the secular powers the alleged right of investiture.
V/. St. Gregory VII
R/. Pray for us.
