In his Dictatus Papae, Pope Gregory VII reiterated the superiority of the Pope and much of the clergy over the Emperor and lay officials. This was evidently a warning to Henry IV. To “demonstrate” the clergy’s superiority, he recalled that the Emperor, unable to cast out demons, was far inferior to exorcists, who were inferior to the Pope. He also clearly distinguished clerics from warriors. He required his successors to renounce the profession of arms and, above all, imposed celibacy. This was to safeguard the priestly order from the stain of blood and semen, impure fluids subject to taboos.
