Popes

There have been 266 Popes over the past 2015 years.  Their average tenure has been 7.6 years.

The Martyrs

The first 31 Popes were martyrs from St. Peter to St Eusebius in 310AD.  Their average tenure was 10 years.  They battled the Gnostic heresy and tried to avoid arrest by Roman soldiers.  After Peter, they were elected by the Bishops. Church Leaders were geographically dispersed and operated autonomously, but were in constant contact with each other.  These dispersed church communities followed their leaders.

The Holy Roman Empire

In 313, the Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official church of the Roman Empire.  This move resulted in rapid growth for the Roman Catholic Church, but keeping dispersed churches in line with approved doctrine continued to be a problem. Martyrdom was no longer a problem, but politics would prove to be a bigger problem.  The Church’s benefactor became “the government” that sought to use the Church to cement their authority. The “divine right of kings” advanced the idea the God had ordained their rule.

The Pope was eventually seen as a peer to the European Kings because Popes controlled wealth. Bishops were often appointed as “Prince-Bishops” and were the head of the church and the head of the local government. They were also the head of the local military. Some Popes ruled Italy.

Wealthy ruling families lobbied and paid bribes to have their relatives given these posts as “Prince-Bishops” to expand their family fortunes.  Ruling families owned and ran “company towns”, ruling a large city or county. They also battled to influence the appointment of Cardinals and the election of Popes.

Consequently, we had a mixed bag of Popes. Some were good governors and generals, but not good spiritual leaders.  Others were spiritual leaders who didn’t even attempt to govern or run the military. A few were good at all of it and they came at times when Rome needed to be defended militarily.

A list of 10 controversial Popes can be found at: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1981842,00.html

The Popes, a book by Furura Edizioni was my source.

Church shenanigans prompted the Protestant Reformation when the Roman Catholic Monk, Martin Luther objected to the Pope selling indulgences and started the Lutheran Church. Popes rationalized brutal colonialism in the name of conversion in the 15^th century. After Henry XVIII split with Rome, it seemed to settle down.  The Pope became the head of one of many Christian churches.

The best Popes stood their ground and objected when the rest of the world lobbied for immorality. Pope John Paul II was one of these.

Pope Francis has mistakenly endorsed the climate scam. He lacks the wisdom and experience of Pope John Paul II. Pope Francis is correct to model a modest lifestyle, but is forced to deal with the current leaders who appear to be totally devoid of any wisdom. He would do well to avoid trying to “fit in”. Like the 15^th century, Pope Francis is rationalizing the UN’s plan for the end of free will in the name of feeding the poor.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader