History Of The Vatican

739 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Brief paragraph about women in modern politics

Armando Sapien
Eric Stephenson
ENG 122 – 05B
8 May 2014
Title
The Vatican is an independent, land-locked religious city-state located near the Western coast of central Italy. It officially became a country in 1939 as a result of the Lateran Treaty. Only about 300 people live in the tiny walled city, making up about half of the official population. The foremost citizen of the Vatican is the Pope, a religious and governmental leader who has great political sway and control over large undisclosed amounts of wealth. In addition, the group of Cardinals who elected the Pope also lives within the city. The remaining citizens that live within the tiny walled city are members of the Swiss Guard, a group of mercenaries who protect the Pope. Only about half of the official population lives within the city; the rest serve the Vatican as official representatives in foreign countries.
Because of the nature of Catholicism, almost all of these people are men. There are a few women in the Swiss Guard, but the prerequisites are difficult to fulfill if you are a women. The official electrician and the official gardener of the Vatican each are allowed to have families, (and they are some of the only people inside the walls of the Vatican who are not celibate) but the women have little to no authority in these situations. In fact, there is only one woman in the Vatican who had any sort of power at all! This wonderful Lady, Sister Enrica Rosanna, served as an under-secretary to an important organization during the reign of Pope John Paul II, a more liberal Pope who pushed for major reforms in the Catholic Church.
In order to analyze further what this means, her biography will need to be told. Sister Rosanna grew up in the Church in Turin, an importa...

... middle of paper ...

... begin with).
She helps illustrate a very important issue in the Catholic Church. Women have begun to populate positions within the Church, but none have broken through a “Glass Ceiling,” that keeps them from entering positions of power. The Church has long been Male Dominated for a number of reasons, not allowing women into teaching positions or positions of authority. She is the first non-ordained person to have power and jurisdiction within Vatican city. She also exemplifies a cultural shift that started with John Paul II, ended briefly with Pope Benedict XVI, and was restarted by the newest Pope, Francis. This cultural shift is probably tied to feminism…

Works Cited
Rosanna, Enrica. Interview with John L. Allen, Jr. Interview with Sr. Enrica Rosanna. 2004
Rosanna, Enrica. “The Contribution of the Female Genius.” Interview with Gianni Cardinale.
2007.

Show More
Related

  • Sacred Heart Catholic Church History

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    People can spot this place for miles and miles because the church sits upon a hill, where people can hear the bells ring every hour, and where people can go to see this majestic site; Sacred Heart Catholic Church stands in the middle of the rural town of Schnellville, Indiana. Sacred Heart, one of many churches located in Dubois County, including the following: St. Celestine, St. Ferdinand, St. Mary’s, and St. Joe’s still stand to this current day. After Schnellville received its church in 1874, Sacred Heart Catholic Church has endured two fires, a complete rebuilding of the church in 1914, numerous priests, and changes to parts of the church throughout time.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Pope Urban II

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is amazing how much political and military supremacy the papacy position gained when the Crusades began. The First Crusade (1096-1099) was a military expedition initiated by Pope Urban the II to regain the Holy Lands in Jerusalem from the Muslim conquest. The Pope gave a speech requesting military action against Muslim takeover to the French people of Clermont. The speech eventually propagated to other nations for further recruitment. Urban’s political and military involvement helped regain the Holy Lands and save the Christian Crusaders souls. His famous speech changed the course of history in part because its dissemination was overly successful, and assembled over 40,000 Crusaders to do the will of God. Why was Pope Urban II so victorious in recruiting people for the First Crusade, and why was his influence so important?

    Read More

  • The Influence of the Pope

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dante lived in a time of intense political strife and competition over land, resources, and people. Many factions competed for power in the region, including the Holy Roman Emperors, an organization of “german aristocrats who claimed an ancient right to rule Christendom” (Moss, Wilson p. 174), the Papal authorities in Rome, lead by the controversial and power hungry Pope Boniface VIII, and smaller groups in city-states such as Florence, Tuscany and Rome. These groups were often made up of noblemen and other aristocracy in the cities that desired to consolidate local power under a “small, select group” (Moss, Wilson p. 174) that would allow them to exercise their will on the cities’ populace. Another class that emerged in the period was the merchant class, impelled by the increasing move towards urban centers and the lessening control of local feudal lords and vassals, in favor of more overarching rule by kings over a wider area. This rise in consumerism and capitalism lead to a desire for power by the merchant class to “establish a system of rule that would protect their newly acquired wealth.” (Moss, Wilson p. 174)

    Read More

  • Why Is Vatican Ii So Significant In The Modern Church?

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why is Vatican II so Significant in the Modern Church? INTRODUCTION: VATICAN II Vatican II was the 21st ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic church, which became the symbol of the church's openness to the modern world. The council was announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959, and held 178 meetings in the autumn of each of four successive years.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Society In Voltaire's Candide

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    The church should emulate virtue from religion, but religion in the book is depicted as corrupt. For example, the religious leaders in the society are corrupt, including the Pope, who has a daughter. As the old woman explains, “‘I had not always bleared eyes and red eyelids; neither did my nose always touch my chin; nor was I always a servant. I am the daughter of Pope Urban X, and of the Princess of Palestrina’” (41). The old woman’s story exposes the fact that the Pope has a daughter, while he is supposed to be celibate.

    Read More

  • Revitalizing the Catholic Church

    361 Words  | 1 Pages

    One of the three basic pillars of the Roman Catholic Church is Tradition. The Church often uses this pillar of Tradition to validate its actions or to establish its own infallibility. One unspoken foundation that I feel is more essential, however, is that of Love. Love is what is taught in Scripture, another pillar of the Church, and should, therefore be the root of any traditions in the Catholic faith. By judging human actions or the spirit of God by cold laws enforced by the Church, we lose important insight into what our faith and our existence are truly about. Even the Church, in its humanness, sometimes forgets that love of God, others, and ourselves should be the core of every decision we make. The Church that many see as harsh and archaic could easily be refreshed and renewed, not by peppier music or stand-up comic priests, but by emphasis on the spirit of love rather than the letter of the law.

    Read More

  • Women in Islam

    2656 Words  | 6 Pages

    ... States one of the most popular religions, Catholicism, still does not permit women to serve in the priest capacity. Some issues will take many centuries to change, and just like in Catholicism, this Islamic barrier will take time to break down.

    Read More

  • Catholicism and Oppression of Women

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    Religion is powerful in that it controls followers’ behaviours and beliefs throughout their entire lives; it is a form of social control. Catholicism is one of the most widely known religions influencing more than 2 billion people around the world (Ross). Within Catholicism not everyone are seen as equals; men have greater privilege than women. The bible and church are from a male’s point of view (Christ 86) and passages within the bible are used to enforce a sexual hierarchy. In fact, the oppression of women begins with the first story in Genesis about creation, which portrays females as being inferior to men and even of an evil nature. This one passage is the main source of justification of oppression of woman in the church (Daly 13). The church and its teachings instil low self-esteem and low self-worth in women; it creates false identities that are supposed to be God’s plan (Daly 3). One has to wonder why women participate in the church and follow its teachings, and how women can overcome the oppression in the church.

    Read More

  • The Reformation and the Church

    1602 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Reformation was a decisive period in the history not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the entire world. The causes of this tumultuous point in history did not burst on the scene all at once, but slowly gained momentum like a boil that slowly festers through time before it finally bursts open. The Reformation of the Church was inevitable because of the abuses which the Church was suffering during this period. At the time of the Reformation, a segment of the Church had drifted away from its mission to bring Christ and salvation to the world. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Church had gradually become weaker because of abusive leadership, philosophical heresy, and a renewal of a form of the Pelagian heresy.

    Read More

  • Hillary Clinton Speech Essay

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    She was a voice for women all over the world. She wanted the world to stop treating women like their rights are different then human rights. “If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.” A law will not fix this issue, it will not change how women are treated, we, as a nation has to change our views. Women make up half of the population; we rely on them for many tasks. They are mothers, sister, wives, workers, and politicians. The only way this nation can reach its full potential is when everyone is treated with respect and

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in the Caholic Church

    440 Words  | 1 Pages

    A year later, according to a research project, The Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life, many women have assumed parish responsibilities. “…The following percentages of ministerial activities done by women reveal: alter preparation 85 percent, teaching 80 percent, social caring and justice ministries 85 percent, parish council leadership 52 percent (Wessinger, 246).”. Church practice is - to a large extent - women's practice. Without the unpaid cooperation of women, important pastoral activities would stop. A fair number of women choose to give their time and efforts to the church, rather than take paid employment. Many times these women are over looked.

    Read More

  • Corruption of the Catholic Church

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why is the Catholic Church so corrupt in its teaching? They have found ways to control the knowledge that their followers contemplate on. The control of knowledge and power is the foundation for every successful religious organization. The Catholic Church have acquired this power through strategic control on the mind of its follower. The Catholic Church propagate their ideals as righteous in order to be accepted; for without this acceptance, they are faced with the task of initiating this power through force. So to beguile their followers, they present themselves in “sheep clothing” (KJV, Matt 7:15). They are accepted as blameless, peaceful, loving and harmless but in actuality, “they are ravening wolves” (KJV, Matt. 7:15).

    Read More

  • The Influence of the Roman Catholic Church

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Roman Catholic Church had complete influence over the lives of everyone in medieval society, including their beliefs and values. The Church’s fame in power and wealth had provided them with the ability to make their own laws and follow their own social hierarchy. With strong political strength in hand, the Church could even determine holidays and festivals. It gained significant force in the arts, education, religion, politics as well as their capability to alter the feudal structure through their wealth and power. The Church was organised into a hierarchical system that sustained the Church’s stability and control over the people and lower clergy, by organising them into different groups.

    Read More

  • What Does Our Mother Of Perpetual Help Mean

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is one of the most well-known and loved images of the Blessed Virgin Mary known to Catholics around the world. Catholics are the first denomination and the largest under Christianity. Catholics use the Bible as their guide for living the life that God wants them to live. The Blessed Virgin Mary is know as the mother of Jesus, the savior, therefore the mother of all humans. Mary’s image was not well known until in 1865, when Pope Pius IX realized that it was God’s will that the icon should be given public veneration in the location and time that the Blessed Virgin Mary specified (Donnell 20).

    Read More

  • THE RISE OF THE PAPACY

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    Early in history, the Roman papacy consolidated its power. It became one of the most influential organizations in the medieval period. This rise to power resulted from the decline in the Western Empire, the leadership of Roman bishops, and special grants that gave the church land holdings. This rise to power caused some positive ramifications, such as the protection of the church from heresy. However, the absolute power of the pope also caused corruption and abuses, many of which would eventually spark the reformation.

    Read More

More about History Of The Vatican

Open Document