Pope Leo X was originally named Giovanni de’ Medici was born in Florence, Italy on December 11, 1475 and died on December 1,1521 in Rome. He was raised in the culturally sophisticated city of Florence, Italy and was born in a family of renowned people of the arts and politics. Pope Leo X was the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was the ruler of the Florentine republic and was destined religious life, as he became a Cardinal Deacon at the age of 13. He received the best education in Europe and had several tutors because of his father. Pope Leo X studied Canon Law and theology at the University of Pisa. The death of his father eventually led him back to Florence, where he stayed until 1494, when the de’ Medici family was charged with the betraying
Pope John Paul was one of the most influential persons of the 21st century. He changed the way the Catholic Church looked at the world and vice versa. Unlike most other predecessors, he stressed on dialogue and understanding among the people of the world. He sought to bring the people of the world together through the message of both love and peace. The role he played in destroying communism and bringing dictatorship around the world to an end gained wide media coverage. His dialogue between different faiths was admirable. During his papacy that stretched from 1978 to his death in 2005, he had a positive impact on the Catholic scene in particular and the world in general.
The papacy – the office held by the pope as head of the Catholic Church - gained great power from the sixth through eighth centuries, and there are several reasons for this surge in influence. Starting around 590, Pope Gregory I sought to convert Teutonic invaders to Christianity. Islam was also in play, as it had taken over most of Asia and Africa. According to Earl Cairns, by trying to win Teutonic tribes to Christianity, the medieval church “…further centralized its organization under papal supremacy and developed the sacramental-hierarchical system characteristic of the Roman Catholic Church.”
Born circa 1020 in Sovana, Tuscany, Pope Gregory VII is one of the great reforming popes, and is best known for his part in the Investiture Controversy, which was his dispute with with Henry IV that reinforced the primacy of papal authority. He excommunicated Henry three times because Henry was getting out of hand and the political struggles between the Catholic Church and his empire. Although, Gregory was also despised during his reign by some for his expansive use of papal powers, this caused his memory to be remembered on numerous occasions in later generations, both good and bad, which was often reflected in writings of the Catholic Church. Gregory was accused of necromancy, torture, attempted assassinations, unjust excommunication,
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, more commonly known as Pope Francis, was elected Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church on 13 March 2013 , and since then has done much to change the lives of everyone he can for the better. Pope Francis has famously said “My people are poor and I am one of them” and has used this to guide his decision making on how the Catholic Church should change its focus to help those in need. He has done and changed much in order to change the current course of the Catholic Church and direct it back towards what it was originally meant to be: a communion of people that know and love God and pass this on the others. This brave new path that Pope Francis has set the Catholic Church on is summarized in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii
During the Middle Ages the Islamic faith was on the rise since its beginning in the 7th century. There were many conflicts in Spain that caused Pope Alexander II to give his blessing in their fight against the Muslims. The first call for an army was in A.D. 846 against an Arab army in Sicily that sacked St. Peters in Rome. Leo IV offered a heavenly reward to those who joined the call to action and died in battle. Al- Hakim bi-Amr Allah destroyed the Church of the Holy Selpulchre in Jerusalem in A.D. 1009, fueling the fire of the Christians and continuing the flame of hatred amongst the Christians toward the Muslims. The papacy thought it to be in their authority to fight the enemy because of the spiritual nature of the aggressor. These
Do you know how many of your County neighbors are barely making ends meet—often not earning enough to cover just one unexpected expense? A recent survey revealed that about 46% of Americans don’t feel they have enough money to cover a $400 emergency expense. Rather than paying it outright, these individuals and families have to put the expense on a credit card or simply cannot cover it.
“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” Said by St. Pope John Paul II during one of his World Youth Day homilies this quote perfectly represents the man that St. Pope John Paul II was: a bold, forgiving, selfless, and loving man. Born on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland; John Paul II suffered a number of tragedies in the early years of his life. By the age of the twenty he lost all of his immediate family, and he credits the death of his father as the point in his life when he heard the call to live a life of religious vocation. In 1939, about one year after John Paul enrolled in The Krawkow Jaggelonian University, the Nazi closed
Greetings, pope Leo. I believe I have some pointers for you and the Church. I believe you should follow them so your followers continue to follow you.
Catholic Charities is a family and children’s human service agency under the Archdiocese of Hartford. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford has over 90 years experience providing a variety of services to children, teens, adults, and families without regard to race, religion, or economic circumstances.
Pope Clement V (birth name: Raymond Bertrand de Got) was born in Gascony, France in 1264 and died in Roquemaure, France on the 20th of April 1314. He was pope from the 5th of June 1305 until his death. Pope Clement V is a famous historical figure in Avignon because he was the first of the Avignonese popes. After being elected pope, Clement decided to stay in France instead of going to Italy and therefore resided in Avignon on the 9th of March, 1303, creating the Avignon papacy. Following Pope Clement V’s footsteps, eight following popes resided in the papal palace in Avignon. These were John XXII: 1316–1334, Benedict XII: 1334–1342, Clement VI: 1342–1352, Innocent VI: 352–1362, Urban V: 1362–1370, Gregory XI: 1370–1378 (left Avignon to return
The Second Vatican Council was called by Pope John Paul XXIII in 1959 but wasn’t open until 1962. Pope John Paul XXIII felt the need to call the council to bring the church up to date. It was known as the reformation of the church. The Second Vatican Council was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, only that its members weren’t limited to European based bishops. The council held four sessions between the years of 1962-1965. These sessions were held in St. Peter’s Basilica by two popes: Pope John Paul XXIII and Pope Paul VI.
My experience at Saint Vincent de Paul has been humbling. I went in expecting to work the more glamorous duties such as kitchen duty, but what I’ve found is that the lowliest tasks are the most fulfilling. On a typical day, I do odd jobs to prepare the dining room. This includes filling water pitchers, moving boxes of food, etc. After, the volunteers are assigned specific jobs. I almost always raise my hand for trash duty, because when the attendees are finished with their food they aren’t in as much of a rush and have more time to interact. The people I serve are impoverished, and a large demographic is disabled. Though, the group is so diverse that these labels oversimplify the individuals. Many of them will stop to chat, which is by far the most rewarding part of my service. Others approach volunteers seemingly ashamed, eyes downcast, which pains me. Early on I took some of these interactions as a sign of ungratefulness. A story that sticks out
Pope Paul III (pope till 1534-1549) designated a commission that documented the lack of education of some clergy and scandals that went on within the Church. Pope Pual III rejected a last-ditch attempt to reach an agreement on the issue of salvation through faith alone (Luther felt the same). Gian Pietro Carafa established an inquisition in Rome by outrooting Protestantism in Italy. He became Pope Paul IV despite the rejection of The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Paul IV invented the "ghetto," in 1555 he stated that the jews were guilty of killing Christ and deserved to be
Pope John Paul the Second It was recently this year that the Catholic world had lost its leader,