How did Popes Gregory II and Gregory III respond to Leo III’s Iconoclasm?

Popes Gregory II and Gregory III strongly opposed Emperor Leo III’s implementation of Iconoclasm, which mandated the destruction of religious images throughout the Byzantine Empire. Their responses significantly strained relations between Rome and Constantinople:

• Pope Gregory II: He vigorously rejected Leo III’s iconoclastic doctrines and refused to accept the emperor's efforts to impose them upon Byzantine-controlled territories in Italy. Gregory II condemned the emperor's actions, which led Leo III to plot against the Pope's life. Supported by Romans and Lombards, Gregory II fought against these policies until his death in 731.123
• Pope Gregory III: Continuing the stance of his predecessor, Gregory III openly condemned the iconoclastic policies at a council.3

In retaliation for this resistance, Leo III halted financial contributions to the papacy from southern Italy and reportedly removed the churches of Sicily, Calabria, and Illyria from papal jurisdiction, placing them under the patriarch of Constantinople. These conflicts weakened Byzantine authority in Italy and prompted the papacy to seek protection from Frankish kings, marking a pivotal shift in the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Byzantine Empire.13