Power and Politics of the Catholic Church

Paper Summary:

This paper gives a brief history of the Catholic Church. It highlights the political and social nature of the Church and also describes its power base in the Western world over the centuries. Finally, the author explores the role of the Pope and the Church today.

From the Paper:

"The Catholic Church regards itself as the only true heir of the teachings of Jesus Christ, as it asserts that this is mandated in the bible (Matthew 16:15-20) . According to the Catholic interpretation, Jesus had entrusted Peter--the leader of the apostles--with the "the keys to Heaven" and ordained that upon the rock of Peter he would found his Church. The Church further holds that all the Popes are successors to Peter and as such are considered to be Christ's representative on earth. From the 4th century AD onwards, when the Roman Emperor, Constantine I, issued the Edict of Milan ending the prosecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church was the only Christian church until its break with the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054 and later, the Protestant movement of the 16th century (Dolan)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dolan, Jay P. "Roman Catholic Church." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2006. <http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573737_1/Roman_Catholic_Church.html>
• O'Malley, John W. "Papacy." Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, 2004. CD-ROM Version
• "Pope." From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2006. May 2, 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope>
• Waldman, Steven. "By Their Fruits: How to be a Catholic president in the 21st century." Slate. March 11, 2004. <http://www.slate.com/id/2096910/>

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