Vicars of Christ
by Peter De Rosa
(Click here)
Book Summary Information
Author: Peter De RosaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Published: 2000-03
ISBN: 184223000X
Number of pages: 496
Publisher: Poolbeg Press
Book Reviews of Vicars of Christ
Book Review: Gripping, potentially infuriating, highly entertaining
Summary: 5 Stars
De Rosa catalogues the ups and downs of papal leadership through the centuries - focusing particularly on the downs. He contrasts each pope with others, so that changes in policy over time appear glaring. For those who believe no human is infallible the lesson seems obvious, but still De Rosa's history lessons are fascinating. Why did the Roman pontifs turn to requiring celibacy for priests in the 11th century? Was it to prevent the rise of dynastic families and family property within the church? If so, why was this measure not needed to protect property in Islam, Judaism, or Eastern Christianity?
De Rosa points out that in 580, Pope Pelagius II tried to achieve control of church property without challenging clerical families. He just ruled that no wives or children of priests could inherit any church wealth. To enforce this, Pelagius directed that each clergyman must give an inventory of all property in his care on taking office, with a full accounting for the same on his departure. (p. 566.) Likewise in the Eastern Church, Justinian's Code of the 500s forbade any member of the clergy from giving, selling, or bequeathing anything belonging to the church. So it might be possible to block inheritance to clerical families without destroying the families themselves. On the other hand, the rules against privatizing church wealth might be violated even with all clerical families destroyed -- especially if the church was a hierarchy in which the higher ranks were not accountable to the lower orders. So, even after the great Gregorian reform had finally banned clerical families around 1074, Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) channeled approximately one fourth of all church income to his extended relatives. (p. 570.) Most of his subordinates felt they could not protest, due to the supposedly Christian obligation of unquestioning obedience to superiors.
All told, the book is gripping and potentially infuriating -- but that's the way we like our history books, no?
--author of "Different Visions of Love"
Christianity Books
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