History of Popes
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His face is emblazoned on stamps in Cameroon, Cuban cigars, commemorative
plates in Iowa and teacups in Canada. With close to 1 billion followers
around the world"the single largest affiliated body on the
planet"the pope's influence on the shape of global culture
is hard to quantify. His directives circulate in the most public
arenas of international diplomacy and reach the most personal issues
of premarital sex and birth control. His work influences the global
status of women and homosexuals and the plight of the disenfranchised
and impoverished. Today, Catholics are led by Pope John Paul II.
But the position transcends the individual; this pope is a passing
ocupant of a seat with nearly 2,000 years of history.
According to Catholic tradition, Jesus founded the papacy in the
first century, when he chose St. Peter, the leader of the apostles,
to be his earthly representative. Thou art Peter and upon
this rock I will build my church, he states in chapter 16
of Matthew. I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven. Those words, which now circle the dome of St. Peter's
Basilica in Rome, serve as the biblical mandate for the papacy.
All popes are considered symbolic descendants of Peter and are thought
to hold Peter's Chair
Since then, there have been more than 260 occupants of the papal office. The institution has endured through the defining moments of European history, including the split of the Roman Empire, the bloodbath of the crusades and the rise of the Italian Renaissance. More recently, popes have struggled to reconcile the strict traditions of doctrinaire Catholicism with the realities of modern life, including defending firm stances against abortion and the death penalty. Here, a short history of some of the most notable occupants of St. Peter's Chair.
The First Pope: St. Peter (circa A.D early 60s)
After 800 years of kisses, (including a peck from Queen Sofia of Spain,
pictured in the photo), the big toe of this statue of St. Peter has
been rubbed down to a stump. Catholic tradition celebrates Peter as
the first Bishop of Rome and the father of the papacy. However, some
modern scholars believe that visitors are kissing the wrong guy. They
assert that St. Peter had little involvement in founding the Church
of Rome, and his elevated position in the Catholic church was a myth
that crystallized into historical fact in third-century writings.Little
is known of St. Peter's actual life in Rome, but legend holds that
he had a magician father and worked as a fisherman before emerging
as the leader of Jesus' apostles. According to tradition, he ultimately
faced crucifixion in the Vatican Circus, but because he thought himself
unworthy of dying in the same manner as Jesus, he asked to be crucified
upside down.
St. Leo the Great (440-461)
When Atila the Hun was sacking northern Italy and closing in on Rome
during the fifth century, Pope Leo traveled to Mantua and, as this
Raphael mural tells it, personally fought Atila in sword-to-sword
combat. Pope Leo also expanded the authority of the papacy by declaring
command over bishops and secular matters.
St. Gregory the Great (590-604)
When he abandoned life as a monk to assume the papacy, St. Gregory
continued to sing the meditative chants of his monk days (Gregorian
chants). He also continued other practices of monastic life, particularly
writing. In his book "Pastoral Care," which became a sixth
century how-to manual for bishops, he defined the ministry as the
practice of "shepherding souls." While he pined for the
contemplative pace of his days a monk, Gregory spent most of his time
dealing with the earthly problems of his human flock during a time
of rampant poverty and plague. He established the role of the pope
as guardian of the poor and considered himself "Servant of the
servants of God." He was also a strict enforcer of church doctrine,
particularly the celibacy provision.
The Female Pope: Joan (855-?)
The legend of Pope Joan, which has circulated in literature for more
than 1,000 years, holds that for a period in the mid-ninth century,
the chair of Peter was actually held by a woman. As the story goes,
Joan was a gifted scholar and scientist who managed to crack the glass
ceiling of the Catholic church by concealing her identity under draping
clerical robes. As legend tells it, the charade wore thin when Joan,
in the process of climbing on her horse for a procession, abruptly
gave birth to a son. Some skeptics argue that the story of Pope Joan
developed from simple misreading of medieval manuscripts, in which
the name Joannus was often shortened to Joan. The Vatican holds that
there has never been a female pope.
Bonniface VIII (1295-1303)
Bonniface VIII possessed an insatiable hunger for power, and was known
for frequent, fiery outbursts. He brazenly claimed authority over
all political matters in addition to spiritual ones, and occasionally
dressed in Imperial robes. Not surprisingly, this led to frequent
conflict with secular authorities, particularly Philip IV of France.
Ultimately, Philip excommunicated Bonniface on charges that included
sexual misconduct and heresy.
Leo X (1513-1521
Pope Leo X (right center) had a taste for extravagance and found himself
with a crippling cash shortage. To cover his debts, he renewed church
indulgences, which were payments citizens could make to the church
to secure salvation. That did not sit well with a professor named
Martin Luther who publicly denounced indulgences. Leo eventually excommunicated
Martin Luther, who burned the excommunication order (left).
Pius IX (1846-1878)
With a pontificate of nearly 32 years, Pius IX holds the record for
the longest reign of any pope in history. In that period, he had ample
time to establish his reputation as a reactionary leader who was resistant
to relaxing any elements of Catholic doctrine. In his notorious "Syllabus
of Errors," he specified that one of the greatest affronts to
Catholicism was believing that "the Roman Pontiff can, and ought
to, reconcile himself to, and agree with progress, liberalism, and
modern civilization." In an effort to ensure that no one tampered
with his new order, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869
and used it to redefine papal authority by claiming the pope's "supreme
power of jurisdiction over the whole church, not only in matters that
pertain to the discipline and government of the church throughout
the whole world." The inflated powers he accorded the pope did
not sit well with many Catholics, and a wave of anticlericalism consumed
Europe. By the time of his death, Pius IX's popularity was so low
that a mob attacked his funeral procession and attempted to throw
his body into the river.
The Peace Pope: Benedict XV (1914-1922)
In seminary, Benedict XV was called "Piccoletto" or "Tiny"
because he was so short that not a single existing papal robe fit
him. Despite his lack of stature, Benedict XV carried the papacy to
new levels by establishing the papal office as a player in international
diplomacy. He also quelled rising tensions between integralist and
progressive factions of the Catholic Church. By his death in 1922,
"Piccoletto" had been replaced with the nick name "The
Peace Pope."
Pius XII (1939-1958)
Pope Pius XII, the leader of the Catholic Church during World War
II, has emerged at the center of an explosion of criticism over the
Vatican's failure to denounce Hitler's actions during the Holocaust.
Several recent books blast Pius for his refusal to speak out against
the extermination of Jews in death camps. Despite his silence, Pius
opened the Vatican and other Italian properties to shelter Italian
Jews and was reportedly involved in a clandestine plot to assassinate
Hitler. In 1998, Pope John Paul II issued a formal apology for Christian
involvement in the Holocaust, but many found it inadequate.
Pope John XXIII (1958-63)
Catholic leaders elected Pope John at the age of 76 on the assumption
that he wouldn't rock the boat. However, John broke all of their expectations:
he installed a bowling alley in the Vatican, relaxed the church's
stringent anti-Communist stance and called the nuclear arms race "utterly
ridiculous." In 1962 he convened the Second Vatican Council,
where he encouraged church leaders "make use of the medicine
of mercy, rather than that of severity." Despite his personal
warmth and informality, Pope John maintained a conservative interpretation
of Catholic doctrine.
Pope Paul VI (1963-78)
When Pope Paul was crowned, he delivered the allocution in nine languages
as a symbolic first step in his plan to reach new communities with
Catholicism. As a second step, he sold the official papal tiara and
distributed the money to the poor in various countries around the
world. Despite his efforts at international outreach, Pope Paul is
best known for his 1968 encyclical, Humanae vitae, which banned all
forms of birth control, other than rhythm. Humanae vitae aggravated
tensions within the church, and put a wedge between Catholicism and
secular society. The encyclical stirred up so much controversy that
Pope Paul VI vowed never to issue another one. He stood by that promise,
and published no more for the remaining ten years of his pontificate
until his death.
Pope John Paul II (1978-)
Pope John Paul II is the most traveled Pope in history, and has greaty
expanded the global reach of Catholicism. He is an outspoken advocate
of human rights, but his critics argue that his policies overlook
the rights of women and homosexuals. In addition to renewing the ban
on women priests and gay marriage, he released Evangelium vitae, which
condemns abortion.
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