The Popes

I bought this book at the Vatican Bookstore on Christmas Day in 2001. We flew to Rome to hear Pope John Paul II give his Christmas Message to the crowd in St. Peters Square in 135 of his favorite languages…what a salesman.

The Book titled “The Popes” contained biographies of the 264 Popes from St. Peter to St. John Paul II. The book was published in 1997 by Futura Edizioni, www.tiscalinet.futured.it.

As a Catholic, I knew Church history, but had never had a Book of Popes. I did have opinions. I knew that the Popes in the first three hundred years of Christianity had a hard time, but were otherwise very successful in gaining converts.

I also knew that after 313 AD, it got very complicated. Emperor Constantine’s adoption of Christianity did accelerate the Church’s mission to “preach the good news”, but the price to be paid would lead to the larger risk of corruption as the church was merged into the governments of Feudal Europe.

Governments had always tied religion to support their reign. They promote common customs to create homogeneity and discourage divergence.

In the years from 33 AD to 314 AD the 32 named Popes were elected by the Bishops. The average tenure of these Popes was 8.8 years, but 4 of these Popes served 1 year or less.  There were several periods of persecution over these first 281 years.

All 32 Popes were declared “Saints” and many were martyred. The church was a private sector enterprise organized to preach “the good news”. Governments had been aligned with their pagan gods for millennia and citizens were expected to worship these pagan gods. Christianity spread among the people in the Roman Empire from 33 AD to 313 AD under duress.

There were many Saints in the early Church including the Apostles and martyrs. There continued to be many more, even after the merger of the Church and the government. St. Nicholas was Bishop of Patara (now Turkey) around 300 AD. St. Patrick converted Ireland around 450 AD. Saints continued to be consecrated throughout the middle ages including St. Malachy 1095-1148, St. Thomas Becket 1119-1170, St Francis of Assisi 1181-1226, St. Claire of Assisi 1194-1253. Many were from “noble families”.

Constantine, as Western Roman Emperor had won the battle of Milvian Beidge in 312. He defeated Maxentius, The Eastern Roman Emperor and became the sole Emperor of the Roman Empire. He was told in a dream to paint the Christian cross on his flags and shields and he would win. This was the event that made Constantine believe that the Christian God was God.

In 313, Roman Emperor Constantine issued the “Edict of Milan” and declared that Christianity would be allowed to take its place alongside of the pagan religions.

St. Sylvester (314-335) was the 33^rd Pope and was the first Pope who benefitted from Emperor Constantine’s subsidies. He was given the Laterine Palace and money to build St. Peters Basilica and other churches. He called the Council of Nicea in 325 AD that was chaired by Constantine.

From 313 AD to 476 AD, the Church grew to become the dominant religion in the Roman Empire, In 380 AD Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. 

By 388 the Roman Empire was over-extended and Roman legions began to leave Britain.

In 476 AD the Roman Army was defeated in the battle of Ravenna by Germanic forces led by Odoacre, who declared himself the first King of Italy. Pope St. Simplicius (468-483) continued to function. The Roman Empire also continued to function from the Eastern capital. In 486 the Romans left France.

From 100 AD to 500 AD the Roman Empire had been attacked by the Huns, Goths, Vandals, Franks, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Franks, Saxons, Angles and Jutes.

The Roman Empire struggled from 500 AD to 800 AD and reformed under Charlemagne in 800 AD as the Holy Roman Empire that occupied Central and Eastern Europe. Reporting to the Emperor Charlemagne were Kings of Germany, Northern Italy, Bohemia and Burgundy. The Pope served as King of Southern Italy.  The Kings employed Prince-Bishops to function as local governors. After 800 AD, most Popes were “born of a noble family”. Prince-Bishops were chosen from “noble families” to govern the Empire.

The primary job of the Pope was to defend the Kings and Emperor by supporting the “divine right of kings”. The Pope also served as an arbitrator engaged in political intrigue with enough power to do damage. The Pope became the Emperor’s “personnel manager”. The job of the Emperor was to either support or replace the Pope.  The Church became a political football.

Every “noble family” wanted their children to become “Cardinals” to control the election of Popes. Bribes were paid to ensure that the royal oligarchy remained in control. Typically young royals were selected for Prince-Bishop jobs, then ordained, then consecrated as Bishops and then created as a Cardinal.

The governance of Italy became segmented into city-states like Florence, Naples, Venice and the Papal States. “Noble families” in Italy served to keep the royal oligarchy in power.

The corruption that began with the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire in 800 AD continued to worsen with the selection of “noble family members” as Prince-Bishops, Cardinals and Popes. From 800 AD to the 1500s, Religious Orders and Monasteries were established and the Church was politically powerful. External events did have an impact. There were historical events

Muslims had taken control of Jerusalem in 660 AD. Pope Urban II ordered the Crusades to begin in 1095. Christians retook control of Jerusalem in 1099.  In 1139 Pope Innocent II chartered the Knights Templar to join the Crusades and protect pilgrims between Europe and Jerusalem. Muslims retook Jerusalem in 1244 and the Crusades ended in 1291.

The Magna Carta in 1215 established basic rights in England and philosophers began to deal with the idea of democracy through the 1700s. Some of these ideas made their way to helping establish Republics in the US and France in the 1800s.

The Inquisition began in the 1100s in France to combat public heresy. In 1231 Pope Gregory IX appointed Inquisitors. The Spanish Inquisition began in 1478.

The 1200s did launch the creation of religious orders like the Franciscans and this continued to the Jesuits in the 1500s. King Louis IX of France 1214-1270 was declared a Saint in 1297. Monasteries and Convents were self-supporting and wealthy benefactors made up the difference.

The Popes moved to live in France in 1309 and returned to Rome in 1377.

The bubonic plague hit Europe in 1347 and killed 30% of the population.

Columbus discovered America in 1492 and the colonization of America by Europe began. Spain defeated the Moors in 1492 and ended the Muslim that started in 711 AD. Also in 1492, Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander VI. He was unquestionably the most corrupt Pope in Church History.

The Borgias became prominent in ecclesiastical and political affairs in the 15th and 16th centuries, producing two popes: Alfons de Borja, who ruled as Pope Callixtus III during 1455–1458, and Rodrigo Lanzol Borgia, as Pope Alexander VI, during 1492–1503.

The Medici were a powerful and influential Florentine family from the 13th to 17th century.

There were four popes who were related to the Medici and each other.  Pope Leo X 1475 –1521 was born Giovanni de' Medici and was pope from 1513 to 1521. Pope Clement VII 1478 -1534) was born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was pope from 1523 to 1534.  Pope Pius IV 1499 - 1565) was born Giovanni Angelo Medici and was pope from 1559 to 1565. However, he was only distantly related to the other Medici Popes.  Pope Leo XI 1535-1605 was born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici and was pope in 1605,  

72% or 190 Popes were Italian and 28% or 74 Popes were from other European countries. During the period from 500 AD to 1500 AD, Europe had hundreds of wars. Church and government corruption were well known and the “faithful” were ready for a change. The Protestant Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s cut the Catholic Church down to size.

In 1450, the printing press was invented, allowing books to be printed using moveable type set in a wooden press. This technology made it possible for bibles to be printed for general distribution.

In 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis condemning the Pope for selling indulgences. This was a pivotal event for the Catholic Church. The “faithful” had lived through endless wars, scandal, feudal brutality, corruption and the worst plague in history.

In 1534, Henry VII broke with the Catholic Church and declared himself the head of the Church of England.

In 1536, John Calvin wrote the first book on Protestantism and inspired the creation of most other Denominations.

In the 1500s Spain and Portugal colonized South America sending Jesuit Missionaries along with their soldiers to convert the indigenous populations and establish Missions. This continued through the 1600s up to the North American West.

The age of scientific discovery dominated the 1600s and 1700s. Inventions were proven that would lead to the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. European Christians immigrated to America in large numbers.

By the 1800s, the Popes found themselves relatively free from the political intrigue that surrounded most of the colonialization of the rest of the world by Europe. This was a period when the Popes could restore the Church’s reputation and the “faithful” were content. We still had bouts of out-of-control infectious diseases and wars, but nothing punishing enough to give up the faith.

The 1900s brought World War I and World War II that devastated Europe and resulted in the decline of religion and the ascendency of secular socialism. The cathedrals built in the middle-ages are now tourist destinations for history buffs.

The Catholic Church reached its peak in the US in the 1950s, having established schools, universities and hospitals.  This would all change after 1962 with the Second Vatican Council, European Socialism and the US “Great Society”.  Catholic Hospitals were sold, schools closed and universities were infiltrated by socialists. Church decline continues today in the US and Europe.

Source: Internet sites

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader