Popes seem somewhat arcane, and have been hyper-sensationalized by some actual historical popes, especially during the Renaissance, as well as negative primary sources written by the next pope's family which has led to a lot of sex, murder, and a-religion on Starz, HBO, and any other TV show featuring a pope. But what is the role of the pope, and where does he fit into today's world? Today the pope is both a spiritual leader and a political leader. He is, after all, a head of state: Vatican city. However, listening and thinking about the words of Pope Francis gives us insight into the role of papacy, ever-developing since its origins in the first century with St. Peter, and the later martyr popes of the second and third centuries. The derivation for pope simply comes from "papa" or "father" so its meaning was different in the early centuries. In this link, the report is from Vatican city and the global Catholic prayer vigil against the show of force in Syria [This post does not confirm or deny my own sentiment, the issue is very complex; I am only using this as an example of how papal sentiment in the modern world can galvanize and shape political ideas, just like it may have in the historical past.]
Click here for the image of over 100,000 gathered in the piazza at St. Peter's Basilica; we will later be studying this massive piece of architecture:
http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-100-000-attend-syria-peace-vigil-192800844.html
Click here for an article that Jacob sent me that includes reference to Assisi, of St. Francis of Assisi:
http://swampland.time.com/2013/09/07/pope-francis-leads-global-prayer-vigil-for-syria/
This was a really interesting read Dr. Wolbrink. The one thing that spoke to me most through the articles you sourced is the papal choice to use prayers from the Virgin Mary to cry for the peace that they believe is necessary in the world. The reason I find this so interesting is because even historically Christians have used prayers to Mary to offer peace, health, and healing.
ReplyDelete