Pope Paul III

3 Key excerpts on "Pope Paul III"

• 

  eBook - ePub

  The Theory and Practice of History

  Edited with an introduction by Georg G. Iggers

  • Leopold von Ranke, Georg G. Iggers(Authors)
  • 2010(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  We are not to believe that the influence of public opinion on the world has begun to make itself felt for the first time in our own day; through every age of modern Europe it has constituted a vital element of life. Who shall say whence it arises or how it is formed? It may be regarded as the most peculiar product of that identification of interests which holds society together, as the most intelligible expression of those internal movements and revolutions by which life, shared in common, is agitated. Its sources are as secret as its sustenance; requiring little support from evidence or reason, it obtains mastery over men’s minds by the force of involuntary convictions. But only in its most general outline is it in harmony with itself; within these it is reproduced in innumerable greater or smaller circles and with modifications varied to infinity. And since new observations and experiences are perpetually flowing in upon it, since there are always original minds that, though affected by its course, are not borne along by its current but rather themselves impress on it a powerful reaction – it is thus involved in an endless series of metamorphoses; transient and multiform, it is sometimes more, sometimes less, in harmony with truth and right, being rather a tendency of the moment than a fixed system. It is often the attendant only of the event that has contributed to produce it, and from which it derives form and extension. There are times, nevertheless, when encountering a rugged will that refuses to be overcome, it extends to coercive demand. That its perception of defects and deficiencies is frequently the just one must needs be confessed, but it cannot, by its very nature, produce a pure, firm consciousness of what is operable and what is not. Hence it can be seen to be at opposite extremes at different times; as it aided to found the papacy, so did it help to overthrow that power. In the times under consideration, it was at one period utterly profane, at another as entirely spiritual. We have seen it inclining toward Protestantism throughout the whole of Europe; we shall also see that in a great portion of the world it will assume an entirely different coloring.

  Attempts at internal reform and a reconciliation with the Protestants

  Possibly the most honorable act of Paul III, that indeed by which he signalized his accession to the papal throne, was the elevation of many distinguished men to the College of Cardinals without any consideration but that of their personal merits. The first of these was the Venetian Contarini, by whom, it is said, the others were afterward proposed. They were men of irreproachable character, in high repute for learning and piety, and well acquainted with the requirements of different countries – Caraffa, for example, had long resided in Spain and the Netherlands; Sadolet was bishop of Carpentras in France; Poole was a refugee from England; Giberto, after having long taken active part in administering, was then ruling his bishopric of Verona with exemplary wisdom; Federigo Fregoso, who was archbishop of Salerno – almost all, be it observed, were members of the Oratory of Divine Love, and many of them held opinions inclining to Protestantism.

  It was these same cardinals who now prepared a plan for the reform of the Church by command of the Pope. This became known to the Protestants, who rejected it, not without derision. They had indeed meanwhile advanced far beyond its most liberal provisions. But we are not on that account permitted to deny the extreme significance of such an act on the part of the Catholic Church. Here we have the evil grappled with in Rome herself. In the presence of the Pope, former popes were accused of misgovernment, and in the introduction to the document now laid before him, his predecessors were accused of having “frequently chosen servants, not as desiring to learn from them what their duties demanded, but rather to procure the declaration that those things were lawful toward which their desires led them”. This abuse of the supreme power was declared to be the most prolific source of corruption.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  Souled Out

  Reclaiming Faith and Politics after the Religious Right

  • E. J. Dionne(Author)
  • 2009(Publication Date)
  • Princeton University Press

    (Publisher)

  I have little doubt about how John Paul’s impact on his times will be judged. In the world’s large struggles—over human rights and democracy, poverty and social justice, war and peace, life and death—the pope, to use a quasi-Marxist phrase he would probably hate, put the Church on the right side of history. And yet his structural impact on the Church may well weaken the very liberal achievements that he embraced. He will re-main a paradoxical figure in the historical accounts no less than he was during his papacy. III On the morning of November 24, 1985, some 165 bishops and archbish-ops from around the world gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica for a papal mass inaugurating a solemn assembly that would alter the course of Roman Catholic history. Shortly before noon, John Paul stood before Bernini’s altar to open an Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, designed to assess the course the Church had taken during the two decades since the Second Vatican Coun-cil. Near the pope was a white-haired, quiet-spoken West German. On the street, Joseph Ratzinger could seem a shy and self-effacing man, easily mistaken for a visiting parish priest from his native Bavaria. Yet he emerged in those years as the second most powerful man in the Vatican. And it is not without cause that many dubbed that meeting “Ratzinger’s Synod.” Raising up Joseph Ratzinger to a paramount position in the Church that helped him to become Pope Benedict XVI was one of John Paul’s most important legacies. C H A P T E R 5 140 No man, other than John Paul himself, was so identified with the changes in the Church during the 1980s and 1990s. And no one, includ-ing John Paul, came under such bitter attack over what many saw as an attempt to roll back the changes wrought by Vatican II.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  Catholicism All-in-One For Dummies

  • Rev. John Trigilio, Jr., Rev. Kenneth Brighenti, Rev. Monsignor James Cafone, Rev. Jonathan Toborowsky, Annie Sullivan(Authors)
  • 2023(Publication Date)
  • For Dummies

    (Publisher)

  614 BOOK 5 All About His Holiness, the Pope conscience and a Renaissance man (someone who has a broad education and has some proficiency in the arts, humanities, and sciences). In this chapter, you discover how Pope St. John Paul II was a true pioneer in the sense that he went into uncharted waters and territory. We show you how he made an impact on the world, how he left an indelible mark on the Catholic Church, how he injected his own style and flavor into the papacy, and how he brought his Polish culture and personal faith into his public role as leader of the world’s largest religion. Groundbreaker, innovator, defender, protector, shepherd, and pastor — these are but a few of the hats Pope St. John Paul II wore. Groundbreaker, Shepherd, Reformer: Introducing St. John Paul II St. John Paul II came from an ancient land steeped in tradition, was raised in a 2,000-year-old religion, and would become the visible defender of traditional morality and orthodox doctrine. At the same time, JP2 was innovative, not in con- tent but in presentation. He showed his followers how the Church and especially the papacy could — and should — adapt to the modern world. JP2 broke the stereotype of popes being elderly Italian Church bureaucrats. Unlike some of his predecessors, he was elected at the young age of 58; was the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century; and traveled more than any other pope in history. He had the third-longest reigning papacy (after St. Peter and Blessed Pope Pius IX). The non-Catholic world, however, will remember St. John Paul II for his groundbreaking efforts to open dialogue with members and leaders of other faiths and religions. His gestures to heal wounds between Christians and Jews and between Catholics and Protestants were sincere and profound — if not totally successful.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book