Which part? Papacy had moral clout, and at times certain political clout. It hardly ever was imperial.
= = =
Hmmmmm. I'm beginning to think that the RC edifice has a rubber publishing house. First rubber Bibles, then rubber dictionaries and now rubber histories.
"having at times political clout" doesn't come near describing the troops sent at the Pope's word to ruthlessly destroy whole families, communities for daring to question his absolute rule and absolute construction on reality.
"not imperial???"
Evidently we are now talking about a galactic cluster far, far, far away and never having had anything to do with this planet.
The history I know of describes a super imperial papacy for many centuries of it's existence.
Maybe. So I ask again, which "many centuries"? Unlike Woodstock, we have a long history.