A Companion to Early Modern Rome, 1492–1692


Book Description

Winner of the 2020 Bainton Prize for Reference Works This volume, edited by Pamela M. Jones, Barbara Wisch, and Simon Ditchfield, focuses on Rome from 1492-1692, an era of striking renewal: demographic, architectural, intellectual, and artistic. Rome’s most distinctive aspects--including its twin governments (civic and papal), unique role as the seat of global Catholicism, disproportionately male population, and status as artistic capital of Europe--are examined from numerous perspectives. This book of 30 chapters, intended for scholars and students across the academy, fills a noteworthy gap in the literature. It is the only multidisciplinary study of 16th- and 17th-century Rome that synthesizes and critiques past and recent scholarship while offering innovative analyses of a wide range of topics and identifying new avenues for research. Committee's statement "The volume includes a multidisciplinary study of early modern Rome by focusing on the 16th and 17th centuries by re-examining traditional topics anew. This volume will be of tremendous use to scholars and students because its focus is very well conceptualized and organized, while still covering a breadth of topics. The authors celebrate Rome’s diversity by exploring its role not only as the seat of the Catholic church, but also as home to large communities of diplomats, printers, and working artisans, all of whom contributed to the city’s visual, material, and musical cultures". Roland H.Bainton Prizes Contributors are: Renata Ago, Elisa Andretta, Katherine Aron-Beller, Lisa Beaven, Eleonora Canepari, Christopher Carlsmith, Patrizia Cavazzini, Elizabeth S. Cohen, Thomas V. Cohen, Jeffrey Collins, Simon Ditchfield, Anna Esposito, Federica Favino, Daniele V. Filippi, Irene Fosi, Kenneth Gouwens, Giuseppe Antonio Guazzelli, John M. Hunt, Pamela M. Jones, Carla Keyvanian, Margaret A. Kuntz, Stephanie C. Leone, Evelyn Lincoln, Jessica Maier, Laurie Nussdorfer, Toby Osborne, Miles Pattenden, Denis Ribouillault, Katherine W. Rinne, Minou Schraven, John Beldon Scott, Barbara Wisch, Arnold A. Witte.




Publishing for the Popes


Book Description

In this book Paolo Sachet provides a detailed account of the attempts made by the Roman Curia to exploit printing in the mid-sixteenth century, after the Reformation but before the implementation of the ecclesiastical censorship. Conventional wisdom holds that Protestant exploitation of printing was astute, active and forward-looking, whereas the papacy was inept, passive and reactionary in dealing with the relatively new medium of communication. Publishing for the Popes aims to provide an impartial assessment of this assumption. By focusing on the editorial projects undertaken by members of the Roman Curia between 1527 and 1555, Sachet examines the Catholic Church’s attitude towards printing, exploring its biases and tactics. See inside the book.




The Roman Curia


Book Description

"The Roman Curia is the central body for the administration of the Roman Catholic Church. The structure and organization of the Curia are governed by Praedicate evangelium, issued by Pope Francis in 2022. The Curia is both difficult to understand and vitally important for the administration of the Church and the Vatican. Interest in the Curia has been growing since Francis' 2022 reform, and this book provides a historical, theological, and juridical explanation of the nature of the Roman Curia, highlighting its relationship to the Pope. It is intended as an overview of the Roman Curia and allied ecclesiastical institutions, like the Vatican and the Holy See, for those unfamiliar with their nature and operation. The book is divided into seven chapters. Chapter one explains the three terms that are often used interchangeably but refer to different entities: The Vatican City State, the Holy See and the Roman Curia. While chapter two offers a brief history of the Curia, chapter three focuses on the concrete steps that led to the production of PE, the principles and criteria that inspired it, the meaning of its title and its noteworthy innovations. Chapter four treats the theological self-understanding that underpins the Roman Curia as developed in PE. Chapter five concentrates on the Secretariat of State and the sixteen Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, offering a brief history and an examination of the juridical structures and responsibilities of each. In a similar way, Chapter six offers a brief historical note and reflection on the juridical competence of each of the institutions of justice of the Roman Curia. So too, Chapter seven reflects on the history and internal juridical ordering of the institutions of finance and other Offices of the Roman Curia"--




Entering a Clerical Career at the Roman Curia, 1458–1471


Book Description

Building on recent revisionist histories of the quality and ability of the late medieval clergy, this is a comprehensive survey of the ordinations of priests at the Roman curia during the pontificates of Pius II (1458-1464) and Paul II (1464-1471). This period has often been presented as one of stasis within the Catholic Church, falling between the conciliar movement of the first half of the fifteenth century and the Protestant Reformation and counter-reformation of the sixteenth century. However the authors argue that this period was one of gradual reform, whereby the Church attempted to define and control the quality of the clergy. The study analyses archival documentation to reconstruct exactly how young men entered a clerical career, and also what influence practices at the curia had on wider clerical ordinations. The book concentrates especially on the role of the Apostolic Penitentiary in controlling the quality of priest candidates and on the role of Camera Apostolica in carrying out ecclesiastical ordinations in the papal curia. In considering the rules of who could enter the clerical career, and also why and how these rules might be circumvented, this book sheds new light on the late medieval clergy.




The Roman Curia


Book Description

A historical, theological and juridical explanation of the nature of the Roman Curia The Roman Curia is the central body for the administration of the Roman Catholic Church. Its structure and organization is governed by Praedicate Evangelium, a new law issued by Pope Francis in 2022. The nature of the Curia is both confusing to many and vitally important for the administration of the Church and the Vatican. The Roman Curia provides a historical, theological, and juridical explanation of the nature of the Roman Curia, highlighting its relationship to the Pope. Ekpo provides a brief and highly intelligible overview of the development of the Roman Curia and its present configuration in the light of Pope Francis’ reorganization. He shows the differences between the Holy See, Vatican City State and the Curia, defining each entity’s role. This overview of the Roman Curia and allied ecclesiastical institutions, like the Vatican and the Holy See, is the first comprehensive treatment in English on the reforms enacted by Praedicate Evangelium. Teachers, students, and researchers alike will find this an invaluable on the nature, history, theology, and juridical structures of the Roman Curia.







A Pope Francis Lexicon


Book Description

A Pope Francis Lexicon is a collection of over fifty essays by an impressive set of insightful contributors from around the globe, each writing on a specific word that has become important in the ministry of Pope Francis. Writers such as Sr. Simone Campbell, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, Fr. James Martin, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby, and Carolyn Woo explore the Pope’s use of words like joy, clericalism, money, family, and tears. Together, they reveal what Francis’s use of these words says about him, his ministry and priorities, and their significance to the church, the world, and the lives of individual Christians. The entire collection is introduced by a foreword by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, and a preface by one of Francis’s closest advisors, Cardinal Seán O'Malley. This is no set of encyclopedia entries. It’s a reflective, inspiring, and often heartfelt book that offers engaging answers to the question “What is this surprising Pope up to?” Themes and Contributors: Volume foreword Patriarch Bartholomew Volume preface Cardinal Seán O'Malley, OFM Cap Baptism Cardinal Donald Wuerl Benedict XVI David Gibson Capitalism Bishop Robert McElroy Careerism Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R. Church Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig Clerical abuse Francis Sullivan Clericalism Archbishop Paul-André Durocher Collegiality Archbishop Mark Coleridge Conscience Austen Ivereigh Creation Orthodox Fr. John Chryssavgis Curia Massimo Faggioli Dialogue Archbishop Roberto González Nieves, OFM Dignity Tina Beattie Discernment Fr. James Martin, SJ Ecumenism Nontando Hadebe Embrace Simcha Fisher Encounter Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández Episcopal Accountability Katie Grimes Family Julie Hanlon Rubio Field Hospital Cardinal Blase Cupich Flesh Msgr. Dario E. Viganò Gossip Kaya Oakes Grandparents Bill Dodds Hagen Lio Fr. Manuel Dorantes Hope Natalia Imperatori-Lee Immigrant Sr. Norma Seni Pimentel, MJ Indifference Sr. Carmen Sammut, MSOLA Jesus Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, SJ Joy Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP Judgment Michael O'Loughlin Justice Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS Leadership Kerry Alys Robinson Legalism Sr. Teresa Forcades i Vila, OSB Martyrdom Bishop Borys Gudziak Mercy Archbishop Donald Bolen Miracles John Thavis Money Andrea Tornielli Periphery Carolyn Y. Woo Prayer Bishop Daniel E. Flores Reform Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, SDB Refugee Rhonda Miska Saint Francis Fr. Michael Perry, OFM Satan Gregory K. Hillis Second Vatican Council Archbishop Diarmuid Martin Service Phyllis Zagano Sheep Archbishop Justin Welby Sourpuss Fr James Corkery, SJ Tears Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle Throwaway culture Sr. Pat Farrell, OSF Women Astrid Lobo Gajiwala Worldliness Mollie Wilson O'Reilly Youth Jordan Denari Duffner




The Code of Canon Law


Book Description




Pope Francis Among the Wolves


Book Description

A behind-the-scenes view of the power struggles within the Vatican and “a look inside the byzantine halls of the institutional Catholic Church.”—Publishers Weekly A journalist who has long covered the Vatican, Marco Politi takes us deep inside the struggle roiling the Roman Curia and the Catholic Church worldwide, beginning with Benedict XVI, the pope who famously resigned in 2013, and intensifying with the unexpected election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, now known as Pope Francis. Politi’s account balances the perspectives of Pope Francis’s supporters, Benedict’s sympathizers, and those disappointed members of the laity who feel alienated by the institution’s secrecy, financial corruption, and refusal to modernize. Politi dramatically recounts the sexual scandals that have rocked the church and the accusations of money laundering and other financial misdeeds swirling around the Vatican and the Italian Catholic establishment, and how Pope Francis’s attempts to address these crimes has been met with resistance from entrenched factions. He writes of the decline in church attendance and vocations to the priesthood as the church continues to prohibit divorced and remarried Catholics from receiving Communion. He visits European parishes where women perform the functions of missing male priests—and where the remaining parishioners would welcome the ordination of women, if the church would allow it. Pope Francis’s emphasis on pastoral compassion for all who struggle with the burden of family life has also provoked the ire of traditionalists. He knows from experience what life is like for the poor in South America and elsewhere, and highlights the contrast between the vital, vibrant faith of these parishioners and the disillusionment of European Catholics. As Pope Francis and his supporters are locked in battle with the defenders of the traditional hard line and with ecclesiastical corruption, the future of Catholicism is at stake—and it is far from certain Francis will succeed in saving the institution from decline.




In the Closet of the Vatican


Book Description

The New York Times Bestseller - Revised and Expanded "[An] earth-shaking exposé of clerical corruption" - National Catholic Reporter The arrival of Frédéric Martel's In the Closet of the Vatican, published worldwide in eight languages, sent shockwaves through the religious and secular world. The book's revelations of clericalism, hypocrisy, cover-ups and widespread homosexuality in the highest echelons of the Vatican provoked questions that the most senior Vatican officials--and the Pope himself--were forced to act upon; it would go on to become a New York Times bestseller. Now, almost a year after the book's first publication, Frédéric Martel reflects in a new foreword on the effect the book has had and the events that have come to light since it was first released. In the Closet of the Vatican describes the double lives of priests--including the cardinals living with their young "assistants" in luxurious apartments whilst professing humility and chastity--the cover-up of numerous cases of sexual abuse; sinister scheming in the Vatican; political conspiracy overseas in Argentina and Chile, and the resignation of Benedict XVI. From his unique position as a respected journalist with uninhibited access to some of the Vatican's most influential people and private spaces, Martel presents a shattering account of a system rotten to its very core.