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Why did Pope Gregory V reject Gerbert of Aurillac’s claim to the archbishopric of Reims?

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Sylvester II Sylvester II, detail from the ivory vessel used at the consecration of Otto III, 996; in the Domschatzkammer des Aachener Domes, Aachen, Ger.

Pope Gregory V rejected Gerbert of Aurillac’s claim to the archbishopric of Reims because the legitimacy of Gerbert’s election was under significant scrutiny by the clergy.1

Following the deposition of the previous archbishop, Arnulf, by a council at Saint-Basle de Verzy, Gerbert had been elected to the position. However, confidence in the legality of this process waned, particularly after a newly appointed bishop refused to be consecrated by Gerbert, choosing instead to travel to Rome for consecration by the Pope. When Gerbert arrived in Rome to defend his election, he found that Pope John XV had died, and his successor, Gregory V, ultimately refused to support his plea. The controversy surrounding the deposition of Arnulf remained a point of contention until Gerbert, later serving as Pope Sylvester II, eventually restored Arnulf to the see of Reims.1