Pope John XXIII

from the running I was doing, but I couldn 't stop now. John was waiting for me near the ocean at the end of the lane, our little spot. Nothing more than a puny fishing hole, our "ocean" was a special muse no one knew about except me and John. Wandering home after school one day, I was fourteen and he was fifteen when we first found it. Through the years, this shelter of sorts became the regular meeting place for me and…

In the encyclical Populorum Progressio, Pope Paul VI extended the individual principles of the Second Vatican Council to nations and exhorted believers to pay attention to the way global economics holds under-developed nations down while enriching the developed nations that use them.”The same duty of solidarity that rests on individuals exists also for nations: ‘It is the very serious duty of the developed nations to help the under-developed’.” Pope Paul VI recognized the disparity that existed…

the way preachers were emphasized giving money to the church rather than focusing on emphasizing faith. Martin Luther wrote a complaint to Pope Leo about this abuse and challenged all of the preachers to a debate over the theology of indulgences. This dispute was a contest between the two strong willed men and it largely ignored the theological objections. Pope Leo regarded the letter as a challenge…

is actually even concurrent with the rise in universities in Europe This can be seen in the Western Schism of the 14th Century, when Urban VI is elected to Pope in Rome, but is eventually disliked for poor ruling and with support of the King of France and government officials Clermont VII is elected to Antipope in Avignon, France. However Pope Urban VI does…

Was Catholicism responsible for the Dark Ages? In history class we have read about the great ancient empires that came before us, such as the Greeks, the Romans, and the Egyptians. During our studies we also learned about , the time in between the 6th and 14th century this period has come to be known as the “Dark Ages”. Many historians believe that the term Dark Ages might not be very accurate and that the reasons behind the origins of the Dark Ages, aren’t well understood. Most were taught…

Without this type of experienced and knowledgeable administrative role found under the guidance of the Pope, it is evident that these smaller kingdoms would continue to be fractious and quarreling tribal monarchies, as they were before the 6th century. In this manner, the rise of the papacy brought Roman administrative skills to govern these small kingdoms…

on a radical understanding and interpretation of what “church” was. Luther believed that the Catholic Church was the “historical church” which has existed in time but not necessarily always with God. It was filled with corrupt clergy, especially the pope, who were godless men, whose positions were man-made and without divine authority. Thus for many years the “true church” arose out of the mess of historical church. It is a Christian community, rather than a church, “defined by the Apostles’…

Whilst there may be some truth in the distinction: Protestants destroy property and Catholics kill, it is a gross over-simplification of the religious violence associated with the Early Modern era to characterise it in such a binary manner. At best, it is a sweeping generalisation based upon the assumption that Protestant property destruction is driven by their anti-iconic beliefs, who felt that they had a legitimate objection to the wrongful use of material objects during worship: something…

The location of the metropolis of Constantinople was strategically located between the European and Asian continents. It was known for its colossal infrastructure, easy access of trade routes between continents and diverse cultural background. This massive city was also the capital of the Byzantine Empire, an empire built on a wealth of gold and Christianity. The strategic location of the metropolis of Constantinople plays a critical role in its functions as an imperial capital, trade emporium…

1. The Protestant reformation had a huge impact on European society, culture and politics. Over the course of the reformation the catholic church lost a lot of its power. Protestantism was very popular among the common people as it focused on having a direct link with god, avoiding the system of bishops and priests. The reformation also sparked the thirty years war, a conflict that would change the religion climate of Europe drastically. After the end of the reformation started war the church no…