Avignon Papacy - When the Popes Resided in France

The term Avignon Papacy refers to the Catholic papacy during the period 1309-1377, when the popes lived in and operated out of Avignon, France, instead of their traditional home in Rome. The Avignon Papacy was also known as: The Babylon Captivity (a reference to the forced detention of Jews in Babylonia c. 598 B.C.E.) Origins of the Avignon Papacy: Philip IV of France was instrumental in securing the election of Clement V, a Frenchman, to the papacy in 1305. This was an unpopular outcome in Rome, where factionalism made Clements life as pope stressful. To escape the oppressive atmosphere, in 1309 Clement chose to move the papal capital to Avignon, which was the property of papal vassals at that time. The French Nature of the Avignon Papacy: The majority of the men that Clement V appointed as cardinals were French; and since the cardinals elected the pope, this meant that future popes were likely to be French, as well. All seven of the Avignonese popes and 111 of the 134 cardinals created during the Avignon papacy were French. Although the Avignonese popes were able to maintain a measure of independence, the French kings did exert some influence from time to time, and the appearance of French influence on the papacy, whether real or not, was undeniable. The Avignonese Popes: 1305-1314: Clement V1316-1334: John XXII1334-1342: Benedict XII1342-1352: Clement VI1352-1362: Innocent VI1362-1370: Urban V1370-1378: Gregory XI Achievements of the Avignon Papacy: The popes were not idle during their time in France. Some of them made sincere efforts to improve the situation of the Catholic Church and to achieve peace in Christendom. Among their achievements: The administrative offices and other agencies of the papacy were extensively, and effectively, reorganized and centralized.Missionary enterprises were expanded; ultimately, they would reach as far as China.University education was promoted.The College of Cardinals began to strengthen their role in the government of church affairs.Attempts were made to settle secular conflicts. The Avignon Papacys Poor Reputation: The Avignon popes were not as much under the control of the French kings as it has been charged (or as the kings would have liked). However, some popes did bow to royal pressure, as Clement V did to a degree in the matter of the Templars. Although Avignon belonged to the papacy (it was purchased from papal vassals in 1348), there was nevertheless the perception that it belonged to France, and that the popes were, therefore, beholden to the French Crown for their livelihoods. In addition, the Papal States in Italy now had to answer to French authorities. Italian interests in the papacy had in past centuries resulted in just as much corruption as in Avignon, if not more so, but this did not stop Italians from attacking the Avignon popes with fervor. One particularly vociferous critic was Petrarch, who had spent most of his childhood in Avignon and, after taking minor orders, was to spend more time there in clerical service. In a famous letter to a friend, he described Avignon as the Babylon of the West, a sentiment that took hold in the imagination of future scholars. The End of the Avignon Papacy: Both Catherine of Siena and St. Bridget of Sweden are credited with persuading Pope Gregory XI to return the See to Rome. This he did on Jan. 17, 1377. But Gregorys stay in Rome was plagued with hostilities, and he seriously considered returning to Avignon. Before he could make any move, however, he died in March 1378. The Avignon Papacy had officially ended. Repercussions of the Avignon Papacy: When Gregory XI moved the See back to Rome, he did so over the objections of the Cardinals in France. The man elected to succeed him, Urban VI, was so hostile to the cardinals that 13 of them met to choose another pope, who, far from replacing Urban, could only stand in opposition to him. Thus began the Western Schism (a.k.a. the Great Schism), in which two popes and two papal curiae existed simultaneously for another four decades. The bad reputation of the Avignon administration, whether deserved or not, would damage the prestige of the papacy. Many Christians were already facing crises of faith thanks to the problems encountered during and after the Black Death. The gulf between the Catholic Church and lay Christians seeking spiritual guidance would only widen.

The President, Miguel Asturias Use of Fear to Control Essay

In the novel The President, Miguel Asturias shows that fear controls personal identity in a totalitarian government. He explains that the fear of death and punishment controls a society and alters the unique way of life. Personal identity is the unique set of emotions, experiences, and lifestyles that make up an individuals life. Religious devotion and Christian resignation becomes apparent in a life dominated by fear and paranoia. True feelings and emotions can be hidden by fear. Fear and paranoia of the surrounding environment can cause a person to live an isolated life. Fear causes people to pray for salvation and have Christian resignation because of the hope they gain from it. Christian resignation refers to the submission†¦show more content†¦The governments use of fear causes weak-minded people to give up a life of opposition to the government and live a life of hope and prayer. Fear leads people to religion because it offers a temporary comfort from the government. The religion caused by fear is considered a part of a persons personal identity. Fear can change and hide the true feelings and emotions of a person. Fear prevents people from voicing their opinion and speaking against the government. Fear of punishment and even death if they speak out forces them to hold back and hide their feeling from others. This become apparent when Angel Face tells his wife Camila how he survives under the Presidents rule by changing his thought process to that of the Presidents. He says his trick to survival is repeating to himself all day long: I think with the Presidents mind therefore I exist(262). Which means he changes his thought process to that of the presidents so hes not seen as opposition to the president. The fear of the President causes Angel Face to hold back and hide his true feelings about the President. He sets up a false personality in order to avoid being a problem to the president. This is also true with Doctor Barreno and his medical findings. The Doctor hides his beliefs and findings about the deaths of a hundr ed and forty soldiers because of fear and threats of the government. The Presidents states to him I am not going to stand theShow MoreRelated Imagery and Metaphor as Resistance in Miguel Asturias The President2063 Words   |  9 PagesImagery and Metaphor as Resistance in Miguel Asturias The President In The President, Miguel Angel Asturias uses madness as his initial tool to launch a social examination of evil versus good under the strains of a terrifying dictatorship. To paint a vivid picture of the political and social atmosphere under the regime of The President, Asturias wields rich and abstract imagery, repetition and metaphors throughout his novel to punctuate, foreshadow, and illuminate. Wind is one of these recurringRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagescombined. During the same time span, however, state tyranny and brutal oppression reached once unimaginable levels—in large part due to the refinement or introduction of new technologies of repression and surveillance and modes of mass organization and control. Breakthroughs in the sciences that greatly enhanced our understandings of the natural world and made for major advances in medicine and health care were very often offset by the degradation of the global environment and massive spurts in excessive

Animal Environmental Problems Free Essays

In the ever changing environment it is a daily struggle for animals to maintain there natural habitats. With the environmental and man made challenges that animals face it is important that we take steps to ensure their survival on earth. If we choose not to help wildlife in the future, not only will they suffer, but we will suffer for the losses. We will write a custom essay sample on Animal Environmental Problems or any similar topic only for you Order Now I will attempt to explain what will happen if we don’t take measures now to ensure their survival. The first issue that needs to be dealt with is the amount of construction taking place in the world today. For example, animals are losing their environments in rainforests and woods all over the world to clear the path for new buildings and construction. With nowhere to go, animals are losing their lives and unable to breed. Another reason the future of wildlife is in danger is because of global warming. With the amount of people in the world and all the waist and pollution that they create has caused severe climate changes worldwide. For example, the polar bears have been affected by these climate changes due to the melted ice caps in the Antarctic. This causes them to travel greater distances in the search for food and risking starvation. Finally, if we choose not to help wildlife in the future we will have the greatest loss to ourselves because many animals will become extinct and future generations will only be able to see these beautiful creatures in photographs. In conclusion, it is up to us to ensure the future of wildlife by making changes that will affect not only animals but every human on earth. How to cite Animal Environmental Problems, Essay examples

History Aboriginal Christian Missions in Australia

Questions: 1. How did Aboriginal people respond to missions and missionaries? Justify your answer with examples.2. Why were Aboriginal children removed from their families? What role did race and gender play in child removal?3. What rights were Aboriginal people fighting for in the 1930s? Why were they denied these rights? Answers: 1. The early Aboriginal Christian missions in Australia are surrounded by controversy. It should first be noted that missions to the Aborigines were seen in terms of a charity rather than as an inescapable Christian responsibility demanding an unavoidable call on the individual's or the church's resources. Very few Christians indeed would have considered their Christianity tested or salvation threatened by their response to the material or spiritual needs of the Aborigines. They were an optional extra. The reaction of the first generation of adult Aborigines to have contact with the Missions is interesting. Initially there was a rejection of Christian ideology and morality. It was thought to be irrelevant to Aborigines (Shenk 2015). Thus, at Bloomfield, the Aborigines were astonished that the Ten Commandments were meant for all human beings. However, access to the missionaries' material wealth necessitated a good deal of conformity with their expectations. This resulted in two patter ns of behavior: one for the mission and another for real life. For example, Mission Aborigines married mission Aborigines and produced mission children to grow up, work, live and die on the mission. 2. Children were taken from mothers after birth; others were taken once they reached the age of three or four years. Many Aboriginal families were thus denied the right to nurture, to rear and educate, to love their own children, to see them grow up. They lost these children, and the children became lost themselves.The main reason for removal of Aboriginal child was the inability of the family members to raise the children. Most of the problems facing Aboriginal people today stem from generations of oppression and have resulted in a lack of trust of white society (Lyons et al. 2014). The reason for removal of children was racism and discrimination. Aboriginal people were denied the right to live by their own rules, to decide on their own policies. They were denied the freedom to run their own economic and family life. Racism was created by the white man and maintained by the white man.Racism is an external factor that has hit Aboriginal families hard. It has caused great disadvantage in employment, housing, health, education and training, and this in turn puts an incredible strain on Aboriginal family life. Racism has also separated children from the Aboriginal parents. An example is employment; if a father cannot provide for his family because of the lack of job opportunities for Aboriginal people, there is a lot of stress and anger within the family, which affects each family member (Nielsen et al. 2014). This leads the parents abandon their children due to lack of money to nurture their children. 3. Campaigns for indigenous rights in Australia gathered momentum from the 1930s. In 1938, with the participation of leading indigenous activists likeDouglas Nicholls, theVictorian Aborigines Advancement Leagueorganized a protest "Day of Mourning" to mark the 150th anniversary of the arrival of theFirst Fleetof British in Australia and launched its campaign for full citizenship rights for all Aborigines.Through the interwar period, Aboriginal people ceased to be major points of public debate. Their powerlessness, lack of economic competition and geographic isolation contributed to their absence from public attention (Casey 2015). People were fighting for discrimination and the rights that the Aboriginals should get. References Casey, M., 2015. The Great Australian Silence: Aboriginal Theatre and Human Rights. InTheatre and Human Rights after 1945(pp. 74-89). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Lyons, K.J., Ezekowitz, J.A., Liu, W., McAlister, F.A. and Kaul, P., 2014. Mortality outcomes among status Aboriginals and whites with heart failure.Canadian Journal of Cardiology,30(6), pp.619-626. Nielsen, M., Mushin, I., Tomaselli, K. and Whiten, A., 2014. Where culture takes hold:Overimitation and its flexible deployment in Western, Aboriginal, and Bushmen children.Child development,85(6), pp.2169-2184. Shenk, W.R., 2015.Changing frontiers of mission. Orbis Books.