11-5 Catherine of Siena, Letter to Gregory XI (1372)
1. Catherine wanted the pope to return to Rome and restore the spiritual values of the Catholic Church.
She wanted the pope to do these works because Rome is the capital of the Catholic Church, which should have the pope who formally represents God to guide the Christians. In addition, the pope should return to resolve the troubled situation in Rome during that time.
2. According to Catherine, when the pope left Rome for Avignon, the Church fell into a deep crisis, which is warfare and persecuted. The spiritual life of the Church was strayed. Instead of choosing voluntary poverty, meek as lambs, and sharing the wealth of the poor, the Church lived in luxury and pursued mundane values. Therefore, the Church was persecuted and afflicted.
3. Exactly, Catherine had no authority to make
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With a respect for the pope, first of all, she pointed out the defects of the Church. Secondly, she mentioned the church's persecution at that time. Thirdly, she encouraged the pope that all will pass with the power of God, and the future is peace and unity. Finally, she concluded that in order to solve all this work, the first step is the pope return to Rome.
11-6 The Debate Over Joan of Arc’s Clothes (1429)
1. The author of De mirabili victoria discusses the laws of the Old Testament and the New Testament to support Joan’s insistence on wearing men’s clothing. He argues that the law prohibiting the woman from using the clothing of a man (Deuteronomy 22: 5) is not mentioned in the New Testament. Therefore, this law does not bind to anyone unless it is officially re-confirmed. In addition, he thinks that this is a miraculous event, through which God helps the French. Joan of Arc as an instrument of God. Condemning her that is an ungrateful and against what the Lord has
in her view, the task of returning the church to the state it had been
In conclusion, the Roman Catholic Church was a major influence on the people of Europe and changed the people lives in many ways.
Catherine of Siena and Joan of Arc were small lapses in this model, since they did not come to power by wealth or economic status. Although they share many similarities, they have a few differences. Joan and Catherine stood out among millions of women and challenged the system of the time. Catherine of Siena was said to have received visions of Jesus, telling her to be kind to others and help the poor and sick. She was incredibly religious and did everything possible to help people at every turn. She also played a major role in moving the papacy from Avignon back to Rome. This made her very influential to others, and she gained a following. Joan and Catherine were incredibly similar in the ways that they gained fame through their visions, however, they differed in the motives that they had for their actions. Catherine went on to help many people in need, and was eventually made a saint of the Catholic Church. Her actions of kindness and grace ranked her in religious
"The Church was in poor shape as well. The popes resided at Avignon, not at Rome, to the scandal of many.
the part of the Catholic Church to the challenges it faced. The Book of Margery Kempe
Chapter one, ‘Beginnings at Assisi,’ offers a vivid description of the social, political, economic, cultural, demographic description of Assisi and its inhabitants. Here, the author describes the life of Francis and the situations and circumstances prompting his journey to spread the ideal gospel life to the world. This chapter is relevant in determining the circumstances that instigated a need for reforms in the Catholic Church. This chapter is applicable in my life because it offers insight on the fundamental Christian I can rely on in my daily life.
The fifteenth century was a gruesome era in world history. Church and state were not separated which caused many problems because the Church officials were often corrupt. The story of Joan of Arc, portrayed by George Bernard Shaw, impeccably reflects the Church of the 1400’s. Joan, a French native, fought for her country and won many battles against England. But Joan’s imminent demise came knocking at her door when she was captured by the English. She was charged with heresy because the armor she wore was deemed for men only but she justified her actions by stating that God told her to do it. Today, Joan of Arc would be diagnosed schizophrenic because of the voices in her head but she would still be respected for serving in the military. But in the fifteenth century, she was labeled as nothing more than a deviant. She was tried and the Inquisitor characterized her as a beast that will harm society. Through his sophistic reasoning, loaded diction, and appeals to pathos and ethos, the Inquisitor coaxed the court into believing Joan was a threat to society and she had to pay the ultimate price.
The prestige of papacy has faltered many times during the History of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the largest issues with papacy prior to the time of reformation was the influence of France on the church. Throughout history countries or monarchies have often fought for power and influence over the church and state. For a period of time, the papacy left residency in Rome and moved to Avignon, France due to France’s strength influence of the popes of the time. The results of this residency would affect both the church and all people in the surrounding areas. Not only that, but the effects lasted well on past the residency eventually leading to the Great Schism. In order to understand the effect of Avignon papacy it is important to
She examines 6 popes between 1470-1530 who she claims lead in a way similar to politicians. They lost touch with the common people both emotionally and intellectually. A little known cleric led the revolution challenging papacy that culminated in the reformation of the church. In that context, Barbara outlines that the popes were venal, immoral, and their power politics was calamitous. The faithful were distressed by their leadership, which ignored all the protests and the signs that a revolt was coming. In the end, the papal constituency lost almost half of its followers to Protestants. Barbara says that these people were driven by the greed and the urge to create a family empire that would outlive them. This chapter sums up the essence of folly in these major failures, lack of a fixed policy, over extravagance, and the illusion that their rule was
...he centuries following them, they did not work nearly as hard, or did they suffer the same sacrifice and separation from materialistic possessions and luxuries. The church and congregation itself also underwent a dramatic change. The church progressed with the times to be not only a powerful institution religiously, but also politically, economically and also socially. With this rise in power in many different areas besides religion came the involvement in many different areas in society. These ties in society created involvement in the “City of the World” which took away from aspects of the “City of God.”
The periods during the Reformation, Industrial Revolution, and the World at War all experienced religious and church conflicts. During the Renaissance and Reformation (1330 – 1650), the fundamental practices of the church came under fire. The church at this time was the largest and most political body. The pope, himself, was the most recognizable political figure. It was due to this authority that the church and its pope were more interested in political issues and less with the spiritual needs of the people (McGraw-Hill, p. 76). Many of the Roman Catholic Church’s high priests had bought their way into position and had very little religious experience. Often the only members of the community that were literate were the clergy thus adding to their control of the common people.
... in the church so much that they were willing to devote their whole lives to it. Whilst this period did see a rise in the influence of the church, this reflected a need for people to find some comfort against the hardships of disease, wars and the chaos from government collapsing.
From the Middle ages, the church faced many problems such as the Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism that hurt the prestige of the church. Most of the clergy lived in great luxury while most people were poor and they set an immoral example. The clergy had low education and many of them didn’t attend their offices. Martin Luther had witnessed this himself, “In 1510 he visited Rome and was shocked to find corruption on high ecclesiastical places”
The Catholic Church was slow to respond to the ideals and publicity innovations of Luther and the other reformers. The Council of Trent which met off and on from 1545 through 1563. The Church’s answer to the problems that triggered the Reformation and to the reformers themselves.
Their wealth earned them great power and loyalty from the royals and citizens. Their power was used to restrict not only peasant folk but also nobles and the monarch in following the Catholic faith. This influences everyone’s daily life and morals. The Church was similar to a government institution where it sustained its own laws and rights. This provided stability to the land as people have benevolent morals with the assistance of religion.