Roman Curia

It is beneficial to the church to recreate a history that was never particularly important to them. It is as if they want to say that Catholicism in America has always had this Hispanic element to it. It is highly likely that even the decision to elect Cardinal Bergoglio (Now Pope Francis) was a political power move. Church officials all claimed to be very surprised by his election, and explained that he was unlikely to be Pope due to his age. USA Today explains that, “There were those who wanted a pope who would reform the Roman Curia, the papal bureaucracy — and preferably someone from outside Europe to represent the church 's demographic shift to the Southern Hemisphere.” They clearly recognized the shift in Catholics and felt the need to appeal to Latin America, as opposed to Europe as they always had before. Even his age, 76, which has made him an unlikely candidate initially was a positive factor in his election. “He is in good health but not so young that he is likely have a marathon pontificate. All those elements made for an appealing combination.” (USA Today) Essentially this means that he will live long enough to make changes that make the Church look good to the Hispanic/Latin population, but not long enough to really…

In the New Testament, Junia, Pricilla, Phoebe, and Mary Magdalene were four females with leadership roles in the Jesus movement. These females were deaconesses, evangelists, educators, or preachers. The New Testament provides insight into the debate of female leadership and ordination during the early church movement; a debate that continues now. Certain Christian denominations today permit female ordination, while other denominations stand firm against female pastors; both use the New Testament…

Before Romero In many ways, El Salvador was no different than many of its South American neighbors during the 1970 's and 1980 's. The oppressive government that existed in El Salvador had much in common with the violent regimes running Argentina, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and others. Death squads, supported if not organized by the ruling governments, murdered with no fear of reprisal those they saw as enemies of the status quo. However, it was the global setting, not simply a continental…

Research Paper: Second Vatican Council The Second Vatican Council began in 1962, and convened in 1965. In those brief three years, some of the Catholic Church’s long held traditions either changed or went away. For some it was the ushering in of the new era of a modern Catholicism. For others, it signaled the destruction of centuries of traditions, and the devaluation of some of the most sacred rituals. It is true that the heart of Catholic teachings were untouched, and that the beliefs that are…

The Second Vatican Council It is not an overstatement to say that the Catholic Church has changed more in the twenty-five years since the Second Vatican Council than it had in the previous two hundred (Komonchak). Pope John XXIII announced the creation of this council, also referred to as Vatican II, in January 1959, much to the surprise of the awaiting world. There had not been an ecumenical council — an assembly of Roman Catholic religious leaders meant to settle doctrinal issues — in…

Drop Dead Divas Every day divas do crazy things. Coincidentally a lot of these crazy things seem to happen on October 4. The universal date of crazy things, which also happens to be my birthday. From overdosing on drugs, declaring divorce, or making their pilgrimage to America, these divas are lunatic. According to the New York Post, Janis Joplin, the ‘second noted’ pop singer, died on October 4, 1970 of a heroine overdose. Joplin lived a very involved lifestyle, putting her everything…

What is an amicus curia? The term Amicus Curiae means “friend of the court”. Specifically, it is a person or group who is not a party to a lawsuit, but has a strong interest in the matter and will petition the court for permission to submit a brief in the action with the intent of influencing the court 's decision (Cornell School of Law, 1995). The briefs provided by the amicus curiae are important in the legal system since they provide insight on particular topics the judge may not be an expert…

The Roman Forum was a great center of commerce, an architectural wonder, and most importantly a governmental supercenter. The Roman Forum was an architectural wonder due to its massive size. The Forum was made up of many buildings, including; The Curia (a senate building), The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, The Temple of Saturn, and more. The Roman Forum was also very architecturally significant because it created the style that we use today for our state capitols. This proves that the…

There are two origin myths for Rome. These two myths were created separately but later were joined together by the Romans in order for them to become basically one long tale. The chronologically first myth was the most popular in ancient Rome. The myth of Aeneas was told through Virgil’s The Aeneid which was arguably the most popular poem of Ancient Rome and it has long been considered the national epic of the Roman Empire. The tale of Aeneas, a Trojan hero who fought the Greeks in the Trojan…

What do you think is the comparison between the Athenian agora and the Roman? Have you ever asked your self about what each has in common and how they are being used in a different way? Well, athenian Agora is an alternative name for a place in Greece. Also the Roman Forum. Both Athenian Agora and Roman Forum are located in the middle of their city Agora and Forum are linked to Greece and Roman cities, they both refer to a place where people are gathered together. Agora is used for commercial…