Vatican Primacy Essay

The roles of people in the church were redefined, as the Pope established himself clearly as a man of action, and not unreachable ‘God like’ figure. He did not submit to his power and instead worked together and worked for the people to make worshipping Christ more meaningful. The sacraments were developed to involve the congregation and improve the expression of Christian beliefs as the church was modernized and clericalism was removed.

The settlers of New England felt that God had chosen them for this "special task". This is seen through an excerpt found in Articles of Agreement, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1636 in which it states, “We intend by God’s grace, as soon as we can, with all convenient speed, to procure some Godly and faithful minister with whom we purpose to join in church covenant to walk in all the ways of Christ.” Through this we are able to deduce that catholicism was extremely important in public life as the people were trying to spread the word of god as they viewed it as god’s will. As opposed to the New England settlements, the Chesapeake colonies kept their church and state affairs separate and tolerated all sorts of religious practices. This is evident within document ..“which states”...”

Rulers opposed papal power because the canon laws that restricted things the rulers were allowed to do with churches within their kingdom. They would have to get approval from the pope before they did certain things. This forced them to have to make compromises where secular and religious claims coincide.

Since the sixteenth century, the Spanish expanded their religious, Catholicism, to the America and settle their belief into the Native American. During the time period of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the religious upheavals caused many changes in the society not only in the America but also some Europe countries. This put a huge impact on the life of people in many countries.

Dorothy Day is one of the most significant activists of Catholic teaching known in American history. It is important to recognize why people congregated to the Catholic religion during the depression in America. Also, how Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin’s The Catholic Worker, promoted peace among the religions and people of America. American Catholics in the 19th century were looking to get along with other Americans and affirm their “Americanness.” Immigrants arriving in America wanted to show that they were good at participating in American Culture. I believe that by wanting to participate in American culture, they were welcomed into the Catholic Church. The immigrants were supportive of American values, and in the 1840’s made Catholicism the largest denomination in the U.S., which lead to a growth in followers within the Catholic Church.

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.”

The Catholic Church during the Middle Ages played an all encompassing role over the lives of the people and the government. As the Dark Ages came to a close the ideas of the Renaissance started to take hold, and the church's power gradually began to wain. The monarchies of Europe also began to grow, replacing the church's power. Monarchies, at the close of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the Renaissance, did not so much seek the guidance of the church as much as it sought their approval. However, the Church during the Age of Discovery was still a major influence. The discovery of the New World and its previously unknown inhabitants presented new problems in the Catholic Church in the

The history of religion in the United States comes a long way dating from the early 1600s when the first pilgrim settlers came to this country. It has been noted that these settlers were highly influenced by the Protestant faith which led to a community level of influence in this country as well. The faith of theses settlers were motivated from the New World of Europe where they practiced their religion in a peaceful environment. Later in history, it was noted that people of Spanish decent started the famous network of the Catholic missions in California. When California became a part of the United States, Catholic churches and institutes were formed. These churches and institutes were also formed in New Orleans and Louisiana.

Until Vatican II the Church was split into may different factions and each was set in its own belief that they were the ‘one’ true church. After the council however, compromises and cooperation began to develop between the many denominations toward building the Christian community as a whole. Official documents concerning the liturgy and social communication were adopted during this session. The third session began on September 14, 1964 and ended on November 21, 1964 (Rynne 291). A select few religious and lay women were invited to this third session in order to incorporate different sections of the church. Ecumenism, Eastern Rite churches, and the constitution of the Church, missions, and ministries of priests were such topics discusses during this period. The fourth and last, period began on September 14, 1965 and ended on December 8, 1965 (Rynne 450). Issues considered during this period included education, laity (distinguished people not of the clergy), bishops, and religious orders. At the close of the council, the pope declared a jubilee, and asked Catholics to read and study the constitutions and decrees of the council and apply them to their spiritual lives.

From the initial formation of the American colonies, there has been tension between Protestant and Catholic religious ideology. In his book Who Are We, Samuel Huntington discusses the importance of the early American settler’s dissenting Protestant values. Without the Protestants, Huntington claims, American culture as we know it would not exist (Huntington, 59). Huntington is right that American culture was formally designed by dissenting Protestants, although that history is fraught with prejudice against opposing religious groups. This tension is most notable within the concept and application of religious freedom throughout American history.

As time constantly presses forward and the earth continues to revolve, the world will never stop progressing and adapting to better suit the needs of mankind. The evolution of religion has greatly enhanced the quality of life for humanity by providing individuals with a strong belief system that is now the foundation of many peoples’ core values. One universal religion that has undergone extensive amounts of reform is Christianity. In particular, the Catholic church is well-known for the development of their famous ecumenical council meetings that help determine the future of the church. Numerous Councils have been conducted throughout the course of history, but none more significant than the most recent, the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II. The Catholic church was operating as if it was still the medieval period and desperately needed to be modernized. As a result, every Roman Catholic Church official was gathered to meet and devise a plan for how to introduce the church to the modern world. Consequently, the following will reveal the Second Vatican Council and the ramifications of the agenda, history and theology evolution, significant texts, and new developments.

Mary Jo Weaver writes about American Catholics in the Twentieth Century. According to Weaver, Catholics on the 20th Century faced a tough challenge adapting to the new changes after Second Vatican Council. Catholics were a close circle and were forced to accept the new changes such as democracy and pluralism. The dialogue with other religions such as Jews and Protestants were more acceptable. Mary Jo Weaver concludes that the Second Vatican Council was to address pastoral problems, which was a big deal with the Catholic Church. Catholicism needed a new attitude towards their beliefs. The ghettos were no longer a closed circle for Catholics; they began to become more integrated in society. The hierarchal authority also changed, power move to

In the void left by the collapse of the Roman Empire, the bishop of Rome grew even more in both power and prestige beginning in the sixth century and continuing to the reformation in the ninth century. It is the aim of this paper to explain how and why the papacy in Rome became the center of power of the medieval world, the factors contributing to this dominance over Western Europe, and the positive and negative ramifications of the position becoming so powerful. Through this paper you will discover how papacy was able to fill the vacuum of power left by the fall of an empire.

We must understand that the pope exercises ex cathedra under the assistance of the Holy Spirit and Christ, which makes his teaching infallible. According, to NCE “The Council did not state “the pope is infallibility,” rather that the pope “exercises” infallibility.” These are two different meanings that hold two completely different perspectives. On the other hand, the council is recognizing that the pope can make mistakes in his opinion, but not in his teaching since the Holy Spirit assists him. Infallibility as affirmed, "is not intended to add anything to the authority of the Gospel, but rather to let that authority be recognized without ambiguity."

The Papacy is the office of the Pope. The word pope comes from the Latin form of the word “Papa” which means father. The office of the Pope or rather the papacy is responsible for a wide variety of things. Specifically the Papacy’s main responsibility is the spiritual well being of the members of the Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church rose to power in the 6th century and lasted throughout the 9th century. There were several different circumstantial and also coincidental factors that contributed to the high regard of the church by the 6th century. The beginning was the church’s unsolicited popularity. This could be linked to its relationship with the early apostles. The Roman Church was the first in the empire