Pope Martin IV

Cornelius Jansen (1585-1638) [Aquoi, Louvain, Paris, Ypres]. Jansen tended to support the Augustinians in a struggle against the Jesuits, whom he accused of granting absolution without sufficient regard for the disposition of penitents. He maintained that the utter corruption of human nature made man helpless, without free will, and completely dependent upon the grace of God for salvation. He and his followers (the Jasenists) were noted for their severity and moral rigorism. Jasen was…

Throughout the ages Poland was always one of the most religious countries, yet on the other hand, open to many religions and different cultures. It is only since after both of the World Wars that Poland became a very homogeneous country in terms of the religions and culture found in it . During the struggle of Poland for the full independence many a times the church placed a big role in keeping the Poles focused and motivated on the topic. After the communist rule ended, Poles usually picked the…

The idea of freedom being evident in every individual may seems obvious in the 21st century, but this was a highly controversial topic within the 19th and 20th centuries. Through the eyes of Fyodor Dostoevsky in The Grand Inquisitor, freedom within society, especially within Christianity, must be valued and maintained so there is no confusion of authority. Freedom for Dostoevsky is both a self-evident truth and a God given gift that can only be trusted in His hands and those who truly believe in…

Christians are responsible for welcoming and integrating migrants into their communities, according to Pope Francis during his renewed plea to not reject the people who need help. On Tuesday, Pope Francis addressed the International Forum on Migration and Peace in Rome and urged people to change their attitude toward people in need. The pontiff spoke against populist rhetorics that have created figures like Adolf Hitler who “destroyed” the people who voted for him, the News Observer relays. “In…

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was one of the most literate and well-versed men of his era. He came from a humble background, yet rose in stature to engage in direct communication with the Pope. Bernard after meeting Hugues de Payens the “Master of the Knights of the Temple’ in 1127, became a champion for the Templar Knights. He was extremely loyal to the Knights and their cause (Seward -23). Bernard while in direct communication with to Hugues about his Order stated, “They can fight the battle of the…

made it to the throne after the passing of her brother Edward VI. Most notably, Queen Mary I’s short reign of five years can be seen as sheer terror. During her reign, Queen Mary I’s primary focus was on making the entire country go through catholic restoration. In the textbook, Early Modern England 1458-1714, historians Robert Bucholz and Newton Key state, “For those, protestants who could not leave and would not recant, Mary and Pole had one last remedy: burning at the stake. They began on…

Settling this great land we now call America was no easy feat. To fully understand why our forefathers took the plunge into such a daunting journey, we first have to consider the vast amount of desire, determination, and courageousness they possessed to do so. No right minded individual would embark on an adventure into the unknown without having a reason. The reasoning in this era came in many forms, but most importantly it was religion induced. In 1534, England broke ties with the Roman…

uniform doctrine the Nicene Creed but to fight and suppress the considerable influence of Arianism (Christ as a created human, not of divine nature), one of the many so-called Eastern controversies between 250 and 336, and b) That the Bishop of Rome, Pope Sylvester I, avoided attending, sending his legates instead.…

created this sense of alliance by the means of promoting the Church to enemies and by building more and more churches throughout his kingdom. Offa than thought of creating ideas such as a parish system from the new archdiocese that was formed between Pope Adrian and Offa in Lichfield. This split was formed between the new archdiocese and the Church of Canterbury. While he gained a form of local government throughout these parishes the Church gained a bishop to…

The Council of Trent spanned a lengthy 18 years (1545-1563) and proved to be one of the most significant of the 21 ecumenical councils convened in Church history. Despite the import of an historical event which influenced Catholic teaching for years to come, little work has been written on this particular council. However, Fr. John O’Malley, S.J., has presented a detailed recounting of this remarkable event in his book, Trent: What Happened at the Council, published by the Belknap Press of…