Search Results (5)

The aim of the paper will be to examine how Pope Alexander VI used liturgy to underscore his dignity as the vicar of Christ. During the pontificate of Rodrigo Borgia—and indeed throughout the 15th century—papal authority faced ongoing challenges, such as appeals to council, Savonarola’s preaching, and political conflicts with Charles VIII of France. In this context, the concept of the vicariate of Christ served as a crucial justification for the pope’s preeminent position within the Church. The unique bond between Christ and the pope was emphasized through various rites, including the opening of the Holy Door. In its first part, the paper will explore several examples of how Alexander VI portrayed himself as the vicar of Christ. This self-representation was conveyed not only through ceremonies, such as the possesso procession marking the inauguration of his pontificate, but also through artistic representations commissioned at various locations. Subsequently, the study will demonstrate that the opening of the Holy Door during the Jubilee of 1500 was carefully designed to highlight the Christological dimension of papal primacy. Although previous scholarship has addressed aspects of this rite, its political significance has largely been overlooked. By drawing on a variety of sources, this paper will trace the genesis and meaning of the ceremony, which was meticulously shaped by Alexander VI. Full article

From its foundation in 1622, the Congregation de Propaganda Fide held supreme jurisdiction over all missionary activities of the Catholic Church at the global level, with authority coming directly from the pope. Its main goals were the expansion of the Catholic faith, the reaffirmation of papal spiritual primacy, and the promotion of Indigenous clergy throughout the world, which put Propaganda Fide in direct competition with secular rulers who also wanted to control missionary activities in their overseas territories. This article will examine one such conflict, namely that regarding Portugal and its royal patronage system in China. The Historical Archive of Propaganda Fide in the Vatican City holds extensive material concerning Portuguese patronage and China, which has remained relatively unknown and understudied. Through an examination of several of the most significant documents, such as the formal terms sent by the Portuguese court to the Holy See, the response of Propaganda Fide, and the final declaration of the Holy See, which would become the cornerstone for all future decisions over the patronage system, it is suggested that these negotiations about China are in fact central to a wider shift in global Catholic policy and politics in the field of missionary activity. Full article

The Easter controversy of the late second century unveiled a profound theological and cultural debate within early Christianity. Originating from differing practices regarding the calculation of Easter dates, the dispute pitted the churches of Asia Minor against the Roman Church. This paper primarily employs a method of documentary analysis. It analyzes the accounts provided by the fourth-century historian Eusebius of Caesarea in his work The History of the Church. It is also cross-referenced with the works of second-century Christian writers. Through this process, this paper seeks to reconstruct the situation of this Easter controversy. Furthermore, it aims to uncover the struggle for apostolic authority concealed beneath the surface of this debate over dates. Central figures like Victor I and Polycrates engaged in this struggle for Apostolic authority, responding to challenges posed by heresies. Victor I leveraged his position to convene religious conferences and issue excommunication decrees against dissenting churches, laying claim to the papal primacy. However, Polycrates invoked the apostolic succession and heritage from John the Apostle to assert the legitimacy of the churches in Asia Minor, challenging Victor I’s attempts at centralizing power within the Roman see. The controversy reflected broader debates over apostolic succession and ecclesiastical power structures. The Easter controversy serves as a case study of the Early Church’s engagement with practical theology and the integration of religious festival culture with social backgrounds, highlighting the significance of Easter as a symbol of Christian unity and collective memory. This debate highlighted theological nuances and underscored broader issues of communal identity and the power struggle within early Christian communities. Full article

The debate on Christian East–West relations usually centres on the “usual suspects”: papal primacy, the filioque and core doctrine in general, the interpretation of Scripture, ecclesiology, and so on. This review article of Edward Siecienski’s Beards, Azymes, and Purgatory explores other issues that divide East and West, particularly those that may be approached via material ecologies: Fire, Beards, and Bread. “Bread” as in the debate on the Azymes, following Siecienski’s 2023 book; “Beards” as in the beardfullness or beardlessness of clerics; and “Fire” as in ignis purgatorius, yet at an even wider scale, the very fire of Gehenna: the question of the hereafter and the location of the dividing line between doctrine and theologoumena. Thus, a wider spectrum of the debate emerges, with which the present review article aspires to familiarize its readers. Full article

The third phase of the Council of Trent (1562–63) witnessed a crisis erupt over whether bishops resided in, and ruled, their dioceses de iure divino (by divine right) or by papal authority. Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Duke of Florence, cooperated with instructions from Pope Sixtus IV to send the Tuscan bishops to Trent, to vote as a bloc for Episcopal residency by papal authority. This position strengthened papal primacy and weakened bishops’ claims to autonomy. Pietro Camaiani, the Bishop of Fiesole and a longstanding Medici loyalist, defied the Duke’s instructions, claiming his freedom of conscience and episcopal liberty. Through an examination of diplomatic and personal correspondence, treatises, and judicial documents, I argue that there are three reasonable causes that influenced Camaiani to support episcopal residency de iure divino, in defiance of his patron Cosimo I. These include, the episcopalist theological arguments circulating at the Council, the heterodox literature of the 1540s, and his own lived experience as the Bishop of Fiesole. I uncover the challenges Camaiani faced while governing his diocese that brought him into conflict with Cosimo I, explore the political dimensions of episcopacy by papal authority, and problematize the meaning of Trent’s “ideal bishop.” Full article