How and Why the Papacy in Rome Became the Center of Power as it Did (Essay Sample)

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Institution
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Introduction
The institution of papacy has a long history that has lasted for many centuries. The papacy has many supporters and the authority and influence of the pope is respected widely around the world today. In the past, the authority of the church and the pope controlled much of Western Europe and the political and social systems of Western Europe. This paper analyzes the rise of the papal authority in 6th to 9th centuries and the positive and negative impacts of the papal authority across Europe.[Gabriel Kahn, 2005. Papal legacy: In changing world, church faces choice over pope's role; john paul's charisma made up for his lapses as manager; insider or non-european?; leading 1.08 billion faithful. Wall Street Journal, Apr 04. 1-112]
How and why the papacy in Rome became the center of power as it did
By the end of the fifth century, Rome was left in a great political vacuum and several Barbarian kingdoms were fighting for ruling power of the once great Roman Empire. The Roman culture was made up of two barbarian groups, the Ostogoths and the Lombards. The Ostogoths were displaced from the north of the Black Sea and the Lombards replaced them having being supported by the Byzantines. The Visigoth monarchy that was barbaric before had abandoned the heretic teachings of Arianism and they flourished in Spain. The Visigoth monarchy supporters were known as the defenders of the church. Another group known as the Frank’s that was led by king Clovis wanted to assimilate the old Roman culture rather than abandoning it for the new Merovingian dynasty culture. Sporadic fights and exchange of power among various groups marked the period. During this time of turbulence between the barbaric groups and constant exchange of power among the groups, the papacy took advantage of this situation to establish its power in Rome in the sixth to ninth centuries. The process of spreading the Christian faith in the region that was once under the Roman Empire needed a safe environment that would not be affected by chaos and wars. The Rural Ireland remained unaffected by the chaos and the exchange of power between the barbaric groups. The first Christian missionary to come to Ireland was Saint Patrick. The magicians met Saint Patrick with opposition and he engaged the magicians in a great magical battle at a region called Tara. Patrick eventually succeeded in the struggle and he converted the King Laoghaire of Ireland and his followers to Christianity. Various monasteries were constructed and they grew rapidly to Celtic lands and many Christians constantly used them in the periods between the fifth and the tenth centuries. The monastery traditions set the standard of Benedictine rule for the mainstream catholic religion. The establishment of monastic tradition by the Benedictines commenced the period that was marked by increased evangelization through the countryside of Ireland and to the entire fallen Roman Empire. The evangelization efforts went beyond the old borders of the fallen empire of Rome and converted new members along the way until it reached the Imperial Rome and mingled with papacy that had been established in the days of the strong Roman Empire. Before, the city of Rome had been a very important place for Christians because it was the place where saint peter and Paul were martyred according to the Christian tradition. The early church held the apostles with great respect because they believed that the Christian religion was passed from Jesus Christ to the world through the apostles. The papacy stood untouched as the two barbarian groups fought the Byzantines for control of the Empire. The period was marked by the establishment the five seats of patriarchal authority that were situated in Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch and Constantinople. Most of these seats were located in the eastern half of the empire. Cultural and political distinctions between the eastern and western Christian halves made them to be divided and the Western halve became significant to the west and the eastern half became theologically significant to the eastern Christian dwellers. The most important bishop of the fourth century was Damascus I. He was the first bishop to refer to Rome as the apostolic see and he referred himself as the pontifex maximus. The title was previously reserved for the emperor. Damascus claimed his authority as the bishop of Rome as having come from Jesus Christ. The ideas of Damascus influenced his successor Siricius who obtained the title pope. In the year 495 AD, the people called Gelasius I who was the pope, the Vicar of Christ. The conviction of people about the pope as the Vicar of Christ made the institution of papacy to be founded and the political control of Roman Catholic followed later. The church established its supremacy over all other organizations including political organizations and demanded that all powers subordinate to peter’s rock as the champion for true Christianity. The Emperors of Milan could not govern Rome and the bishops filled the power vacuum with the authority of the church.[Gabriel Kahn, 2005. Papal legacy: In changing world, church faces choice over pope's role; john paul's charisma made up for his lapses as manager; insider or non-european?; leading 1.08 billion faithful. Wall Street Journal, Apr 04. 1-112] [Gabriel Kahn, 2005. Papal legacy: In changing world, church faces choice over pope's role; john paul's charisma made up for his lapses as manager; insider or non-european?; leading 1.08 billion faithful. Wall Street Journal, Apr 04. 1-112] [Bonar &Hernández, 2014. REFORMING CATHOLICISM: Papal power in guatemala during the 1920s and 1930s. The Americas 71, no. 2: 255-I.]
Factors that contributed to the dominance of the church in Western Europe until reformation
Several factors contributed significantly to the dominance of the church in Western Europe until the period of reformation. These factors include the urgency to have peace in Europe, the believe of the pope and the bishops as the representatives of God on earth and the contribution of the church in ending poverty and encouraging civilization.[Bonar &Hernández, 2014. REFORMING CATHOLICISM: Papal power in guatemala during the 1920s and 1930s. The Americas 71, no. 2: 255-I.]
Peace
Western Europe had been marked by a long history of conflicts between several nations and barbarian kingdoms. The kingdoms fought each other because of the differences in views and beliefs that they held. When the church assumed authority over the political systems in Europe, a period of peace was experienced because the major focus of the church was not war but spreading faith across Europe. The people had a common faith and the church helped to align the beliefs of different people across period making war to be unnecessary. Furthermore, the believers across Europe felt represented by the church.[John Jay &Hughes, 2007. The consensus of the church and papal infallibility. A study in the background of vatican I. by richard F. costigan. pp. xiii+218. washington, DC: The catholic university of america press, 2006. $54.95. 13 978 0 8132 1413 9; 10 0 8132 1413 0. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 58, no. 1: 171.]
Institution of papacy and bishops
The bishop of Rome was highly regarded as the Vicar of Christ on earth. The bishops of the church were seen as representatives of God on earth and they were highly respected by the people. The respect and high regard that the institution of papacy and church leadership enjoyed led to the dominance of the church over all the other political and social systems in Western Europe.[John Jay &Hughes, 2007. The consensus of the church and papal infallibility. A study in the background of vatican I. by richard F. costigan. pp. xiii+218. washington, DC: The catholic university of america press, 2006. $54.95. 13 978 0 8132 1413 9; 10 0 8132 1413 0. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 58, no. 1: 171.]
Ending poverty and encouraging civilization
The church helped to minimize poverty across Europe by encouraging the sharing of financial and other resources with the poor. The church established many monasteries and schools leading to the improvement of the education system across Europe. The improvement of the education system in Europe led to development and the establishment of civilization across Western Europe.[Lawrin Armstrong ,Fichtenau & Heinrich 2001. Heretics & scholars in the high middle age...