The power of the papacy
The papacy has always played a vital role in Christianity from the days of the Roman Empire. In those days, the papacy was the only thing that was left of Rome after its fall. Rome was considered a sacred place based on the history of discipleship and the belief that the Apostles Paul and Peter practiced their martyrdom. Because of this symbolism, Rome was still respected even after it was defeated, and the religious background it possessed made the system of the papacy the ultimate center of attention. The westerners fought with the easterners over the control of Rome because of papacy and its significance in the history of Christians. As a result, the leaders in the papacy system soon established esteemed places in the City of Rome and assumed the political role that was placed by the emperors before its fall. The bishops also became the centers of authority in the Cities for which the Westerners were fighting for dominance. The newly assumed authorities made decisions that were followed without questions since they were revered and possessed both religious and political power because of the system of the papacy. The bishops took over as representatives of God as believed to be in the apostolic teachings and became the rulers of most of the cities in the West. The pope was regarded as the highest form of authority in the cities that had no rulers prior to the fall of Rome, which had been the center of political prowess. The papacy system was instigated by biblical beliefs that were hard to shake in a region that believed in the teachings of Christianity. Because everybody was expected to respect the papacy, they could not question its political significance as a form of authority. As a result, papacy rose to power in Rome.
The Roman Empire was heavily founded upon the teachings and doctrines of the bible and especially in the Gospel of the Apostles. The Christians in Rome believed and interpreted the teachings of Jesus Christ in the view that he passed down his power to the Apostle. They then believed that the Apostles passed down their power and authorities to the bishops in the Roman Catholic churches. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church believed that Peter from the bible was the first Bishop. The papacy, therefore, started from the apostolic teachings according to many Catholics in Rome at the time. As a result, it was in order for the bishops to assume power after the political leaders failed to rule when Rome collapsed. The papacy was greatly revered because the system was believed to have started from the Apostles, who represented the views of Jesus Christ. The papacy rose to power as a result of the widely acclaimed teachings, and everyone believed it to be the way things were supposed to happen when the city fell. The fall of Rome was a superstitiously believed to have paved way for the right form of leadership according to the people. As a result, the papacy was afforded a lot of power and became the ultimate symbol of authority in Rome and its environs. The teachings of the bible stipulated that the popes were in charge of the Church, according to the interpretation of the Roman Catholic Church. As a duty to the Church, the papacy assumed its powerful authority over Rome.
After the fall of Rome, the Christian religion became the sole and the paramount religion in the Roman Empire. Everyone, therefore, believed in the doctrines of the religion. As a result, there was no formidable opposition to the form of power that the Church assumed. The church became popular and was believed to be the sacred representation of the work of Jesus Christ and all that was left of it. The church was responsible for the reconciliation of the Empire with its barbaric neighbors and used the biblical teachings to ascertain its position. The reconciliation was well received in Rome, which led to more appreciation of the church under the leadership of the bishops. As a result, the bishops became more appreciated and further propagated the papacy. The church was also responsible for the preservation of the history of Rome after the destruction by its enemies. Consequently, and naturally so, it rose to power as the symbol of the much-needed peace and stability in the Roman Empire. The church was substantially one of the most stable, remaining histories in Rome, and the people wanted to keep it preserved. Because of all the positives that the church brought after the fall of Rome, it was seen as a God sent form of authority that the people needed. The subjects recognized that they needed to preserve the Church. Automatically, the papacy was the figure of authority that was available at the time. As a result, it became a form of power in Rome because it was identified in the church and its teachings. The papacy assumed the kind of authority that could not be questioned as leaders such as Pope Leo the second came into power.
Until the reformation, Europe was under attack from barbaric enemies. The Western part of Europe and especially in places such Italy and the Byzantine Empire were crippled by the constant invasions that threatened their very existence. One of the results of these invasions was the divisions that the countries in the Western world witness in their leaderships. Their rulers were involved in the formation of alliances as a form of survival and these caused divisions among them. The divisions, at the time of war, were not healthy for the mere survival of these nations. They were in need of the ruling system that was stable for them to survive the invasions. The Catholic Churchwas the sole body that could offer this kind of stability. The church offered a sense of peace that the countries needed since the invasions had become excessive in nature. Since the church was represented by the papacy system, it gained popularity in Western Europe as more countries tended to embrace the system. In addition, the rulers of the countries in Western Europe were no longer popular since their continued wrangles were the reason for the insurgency of wars. Most of the Western European countries had to adopt the papacy system of as their official forms of rulership for peace to prevail.
In addition, because of the many wars that happened, most of Western Europe was left without resources that were needed for a fresh start. The wars had rendered most of the countries economically incapable of a comeback, which was how the church became significant. The church had the money that could be used to foster the economic comeback of most of the Western European nations if it were given room to assume leadership. Most of the Western European countries did not have the means or the wealthy rulers that they used to have. Some of the rulers were devoid of patriotism and had left after the wars became unbearable. The subjects had been left without a sense of economic and political direction and were in anguish over how they would redeem themselves. Therefore, the church having power proved to be a good thing for them. The church provided an opportunity for the Western Europe Empires to have economic independence and start afresh. Subsequently, the leaders of the church, led by the papacy, became popular in the region. They were seen as the second form of salvation that the Messiah left for them through the apostle Peter. The popes were, therefore, given the highest form of reverence in Western Europe because of the goodness that the church brought.
The above instances showcase how and why the system of papacy rulership became powerful in Western Europe and Rome. The implications of such power were also manifested during the reign of the popes and Bishops. One of the positive outcomes is that peace was restored in these nations. The church formed alliances with the invaders who saw sense in what the church preached. The alliances were important for the establishment of peace in the region, which the Empires certainly needed. The power acquires by the papacy also resulted in the economic wellbeing of the countries that were in shambled. In addition, political stability was restored since the papacy gave the much-needed direction that the rulers and emperors did not. The system, however, was limiting to the aspects of government and constitutions that the other countries adopted with time. The aspect of absolute power was corrupting even to the holiest of men and was a source of turmoil in the church.
Bibliography
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Fleming, Robert. The Rise and Fall of Rome Papal. London: Houlston &Stoneman, 1848.
Johnson, Paul, and Michael J. Walsh. The Papacy. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997.
Stinger, Charles L. The Renaissance in Rome. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1985.
Thomson, John A. F. The Western Church in the Middle Ages. London: Arnold ;, 1998.
