What major papal move in the 14th century resulted in the pope residing in Avignon rather than Rome?

• A. Great Schism
• B. Investiture Controversy
• C. The Avignon Papacy
• D. Gregorian Reform

Answer: (C)

The Avignon Papacy is the period when the pope resided in Avignon, France, rather than in Rome, during the 14th century. It began when Pope Clement V moved the papal court to Avignon in 1309, driven by French influence and a desire to escape the politics and instability surrounding Rome. For about seventy years, a succession of popes governed from Avignon, building a substantial administration there and strengthening the connection between the papacy and the French crown. This arrangement ended when Gregory XI returned the papal seat to Rome in 1377, a move that was followed shortly by the Western Schism, with rival papal claimants in Rome and Avignon. The other events listed are different moments in church history: the Investiture Controversy concerns who had the authority to appoint bishops and occurred earlier; Gregorian Reform refers to 11th-century reforms aimed at curbing simony and enforcing clerical celibacy; while the Great Schism later refers to a broader division within the church, not to where the pope lived.