325 Week 6

At the start of every Easter and Christmas Papal address, the Pope starts out by saying: “To Rome and to the World”. Why does the Pope feel the need to single out Rome? Why don’t they just address the world as a whole? I believe they do this because the Papacy has qualities that make it both Roman/Italian and Universal.

The Papacy has Roman and Italian qualities because this is where Peter decided to found the church. Jesus Christ Himself trusted Peter to continue his teachings and his legacy after he was crucified. Peter travelled around the world and could have picked anywhere. However, he decided to found the church in Rome because is those times; Rome was the center of the world. In our readings, Barzini calls Rome “Gods seat on earth, the rock on which Christ had established His Church, the centre of a vast spiritual Empire”. The Papacy is also Roman because Peter, the Bishop of Rome and the first Pope, was buried there after being martyred.

I believe the Papacy to be Italian because Catholics in Italy are different than the rest of the world. In Rome, there are literally churches on every corner. Italians have such a strong belief in Christ and consequently the Pope that they felt the need to build hundreds of churches throughout the city. During our first week in Rome, Professor M also mentioned that more than 90% of the country is Catholic. When 90% of an entire country believes in someone or something, that object, person or thing will inherently become part of that country.

The Papacy is also universal because while the Catholic Church was founded in Rome, it has spread to every country all over the world. The Pope is the leader of an institution that people from all over the world believe in. The current Pope, Benedict XVI, is also fluent in 7 different languages. This is necessary because how much the Church has spread all over the world. The Vatican itself is also a separate state apart from Italy and Rome. Since The Vatican is a different country, that makes the Pope a leader of a country as well.

The Papacy can also be called universal because of the amount of people that travel from all over the world to see him. Catholics from every continent and different countries make the pilgrimage to pay respect to their leader. The Churches traditions also make it universal. No matter what country you go to, or what language they speak, mass and the Sacraments do not change.

The Papacy has its foundations rooted in Roman and Italian history, however over the years it has expanded into a universal institution, with universal traditions.