The Role of the Church
In all of the Universities across Europe, the Catholic Church had no larger say than that it did at the University of Paris. Just as the University was getting on its feet, the Church had moved the Papacy to France (where it would stay for 70 years), and where every Pope that was elected was French. This, of course, angered many members of the church. The lay people, ordinary members of the church, demanded a Pope from Rome or Italy. When the Cardinals, the highest ranking members of the church under the Pope, met to vote again the lay people were heard and in turn, the French cardinals were furious. This sparked the Western Schism, a time where the Catholic Church had two Popes. One was recognized only in France, and one in other countries across Europe. Thus, the University was in the palm of the Pope’s hand.
Before the University had even formed, and long before the Western Schism, Pope Celestine III ruled that students attending the school would answer only to the ecclesiastical courts. In other words, if a student were to do something illegal, the authorities of the state could not arrest them, the matter could only be brought to courts of the church (Feret, n.d.).
Before the University had even formed, and long before the Western Schism, Pope Celestine III ruled that students attending the school would answer only to the ecclesiastical courts. In other words, if a student were to do something illegal, the authorities of the state could not arrest them, the matter could only be brought to courts of the church (Feret, n.d.).
The Church's Influence on Teachings
Knowledge (a revealed truth from God) was passed down and it was expected that students accept and interpret the teachings of the church, not question or test them.
“Thus the medieval scholar might debate about how many angels could stand on the head of a pin, but he did not question the existence of angels.” – Guisepi
France was full of devout Catholics, which is one of the reasons Theology and Canon Law were two of the most important and sought after doctorates at the university. Current and future clergy men lined the halls daily, not to mention future Popes (Sorbonne, n.d.). This set it apart from other Universities, such as Cambridge and Oxford who focused more on logic and philosophy, though you could obtain a degree in theology at Oxford (Cobban 1999, p.150).