Final answer:
Pope Gregory I established the precedent for papal independence and the expansion of the Church's influence in Sicily, which paved the way for the religious and cultural identity that developed under Norman rule.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pope Gregory I established in Sicily an influential precedent for papal independence and orchestrated political maneuverings to maintain and expand the influence of the Church.
By playing different Germanic kings against each other and using his spiritual authority, Gregory the Great was able to foster beneficial relationships that promoted the expansion of Christianity and the authority of the papacy, even as Sicily later came under the control of the Norman kings.
These kings maintained a multiethnic society and created a distinctive Norman Sicilian cultural identity, all under the watchful eye of the papacy, which retained spiritual influence over the region.