Clement II
Suidger von Morsleben · 1046 – 1047
A German reformer installed by Emperor Henry III after deposing three rival claimants, he began the reform of a deeply corrupted papacy.
Suidger was the bishop of Bamberg, chosen by Emperor Henry III at the Council of Sutri in 1046 after three rival popes were deposed. As Clement II, he immediately began combating simony — the buying and selling of Church offices. He crowned Henry III as emperor and traveled with him through southern Italy. He died after only nine months, possibly poisoned. His brief pontificate nevertheless marked the beginning of the great papal reform movement.
Why He Matters
Clement II's nine months as pope began the cleanup of a papacy that had sunk to one of its lowest points. He did not live long enough to finish the job, but he started it — and the reformers who followed built on what he began.