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Papal Renunciation
A papal renunciation (), also called a papal abdication, occurs when the current pope of the Catholic Church voluntarily resigns his position. As a pope conventionally holds the office for life, a papal renunciation is an uncommon event. Before the 21st century, only five popes unambiguously resigned with historical certainty, all between the 10th and 15th centuries. There are disputed claims of four popes having resigned, dating from the 3rd to the 11th centuries; a fifth disputed case may have involved an antipope. Additionally, a few popes during the '' saeculum obscurum'' were "deposed", meaning driven from office by force. The history and canonical question here is complicated; generally, the official Vatican list of popes seems to recognize such "depositions" as valid renunciations if the pope acquiesced, but not if he did not. The later development of canon law has been in favor of papal supremacy, leaving no recourse to the removal of a pope involuntarily. The most rece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States, and since 1929 of the much smaller Vatican City state. From a Catholic viewpoint, the primacy of the bishop of Rome is largely derived from his role as the apostolic successor to Saint Peter, to whom Petrine primacy, primacy was conferred by Jesus, who gave Peter the Keys of Heaven and the powers of "binding and loosing", naming him as the "rock" upon which the Church would be built. The current pope is Leo XIV, who was elected on 8 May 2025 on the second day of the 2025 papal conclave. Although his office is called the papacy, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, jurisdiction of the episcopal see is called the Holy See. The word "see" comes from the Latin for 'seat' or 'chair' (, refe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canon (canon Law)
In canon law, a canon designates some law promulgated by a synod, an ecumenical council, or an individual bishop. The word "canon" comes from the Greek ''kanon'', which in its original usage denoted a straight rod that was later the instrument used by architects and artificers as a measuring stick for making straight lines. ''Kanon'' eventually came to mean a rule or norm, so that when the first ecumenical council— Nicaea I—was held in 325, ''kanon'' started to obtain the restricted juridical denotation of a law promulgated by a synod or ecumenical council, as well as that of an individual bishop. Etymology Greek ''kanon'' / , Arabic ''Qanun'' / قانون, Hebrew ''kaneh'' / קנה, "straight"; a rule, code, standard, or measure; the root meaning in all these languages is "reed" (''cf.'' the Romance-language ancestors of the English word "cane"). A ''kanon'' was the instrument used by architects and artificers for making straight lines. Pre-Nicene usage Some writers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope Benedict IX
Pope Benedict IX (; ), born Theophylactus of Tusculum in Rome, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States for three periods between October 1032 and July 1048 (1032–1044; 1045; 1047–1048). Aged about 20 when first elected, he may have been the youngest Pope in the history of the Catholic Church. He is the only person to have been Pope more than once and the only person ever accused of selling the papacy. Benedict was the nephew of his immediate predecessor, John XIX. In October 1032, Benedict's father obtained his election through bribery. However, his reputedly dissolute activities provoked a revolt on the part of the Romans. Benedict was driven out of Rome and Sylvester III elected to succeed him. Some months later, Benedict and his supporters managed to expel Sylvester. Benedict then decided to resign in favor of his Godparent, godfather, Pope Gregory VI, Gregory VI, provided he was reimbursed for his expenses. Benedict subsequently had second thoughts, returne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions and in philosophy across numerous cultures. The Greek word for "monk" may be applied to men or women. In English, however, "monk" is applied mainly to men, while ''nun'' is typically used for female monastics. Although the term ''monachos'' is of Christianity, Christian origin, in the English language ''monk'' tends to be used loosely also for both male and female ascetics from other religious or philosophical backgrounds. However, being generic, it is not interchangeable with terms that denote particular kinds of monk, such as cenobite, hermit, anchorite, or Hesychasm, hesychast. Traditions of Christian monasticism exist in major Christian denominations, with religious orders being present in Catholicism, Lutheranism, Oriental Ort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope John XVIII
Pope John XVIII (; died June or July 1009) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from January 1004 (25 December 1003 NS) to his abdication in July 1009. He wielded little temporal power, ruling during the struggle between John Crescentius and Emperor Henry II for the control of Rome. Family John was born to the Fasano family in Rome. His father was a priest, either named Leo according to Johann Peter Kirsch,Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Pope John XVIII (XIX)." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 18 September 2017 or Ursus according to Horace K Mann. Pontificate John owed his election to the influence and power of the Cre ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope Liberius
Pope Liberius (310 – 24 September 366) was the bishop of Rome from 17 May 352 until his death on 24 September 366. According to the '' Catalogus Liberianus'', he was consecrated on 22 May as the successor to Julius I. He is not mentioned as a saint in the Roman Martyrology, making him the earliest pontiff not to be venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and, along with Anastasius II, one of only two popes to be omitted from Catholic sainthood in the first 500 years of church history. Liberius is mentioned in the Greek Menology, the Eastern equivalent to the martyrologies of the Western Church and a measure of sainthood prior to the institution of the formal Western processes of canonization. Pontificate The first recorded act of Liberius was, after a synod had been held at Rome, to write to Emperor Constantius II, then in quarters at Arles (353–354), asking that a council might be called at Aquileia with reference to the affairs of Athanasius of Alexandria, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope Marcellinus
Pope Marcellinus was the bishop of Rome from 30 June 296 to his death in 304. A historical accusation was levelled at him by some sources to the effect that he might have renounced Christianity during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians before repenting afterwards, which would explain why he is omitted from lists of martyrs. The accusation is rejected, among others, by Augustine of Hippo. He is today venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and in the Serbian Orthodox Church. Pontificate According to the '' Liberian Catalogue'', Marcellinus was a Roman, the son of Proiectus or Projectus. He succeeded Caius as bishop of Rome on 30 June 296. Marcellinus' pontificate began at a time when Diocletian was Roman emperor, but had not yet started to persecute the Christians, and their membership grew. Caesar Galerius led the pagan movement against Christianity and aroused Diocletian against Christians in 302; first, Christian soldiers had to leave the army, later the Chu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope Pontian
Pope Pontian (; died October 235) was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 230 to 28 September 235.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1911). "Pope St. Pontian" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company. In 235, during the persecution of Christians in the reign of the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, Pontian was arrested and sent to the island of Sardinia. He abdicated to make the election of a new pope possible. Resigning on 28 September 235, he was the first pope to do so. This allowed an orderly transition in the Church of Rome and so ended a schism that had existed in the Church for eighteen years. Some accounts say he was beaten to death only weeks after his arrival on Sardinia. Pontian is venerated as a saint in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Life A little more is known of Pontian than his predecessors, apparently from a lost papal chronicle that was available to the compiler of the '' Liberian Catalogue'' of the bishops of Rome, written in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catholic Encyclopedia
''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'', is an English-language encyclopedia about Catholicism published in the United States. It was designed "to give its readers full and authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine". The first volume of the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index volume in 1914 and later supplementary volumes. Its successor, the ''New Catholic Encyclopedia'', was first published by the Catholic University of America in 1967. ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' was published by the Robert Appleton Company (RAC) in New York City. RAC was a publishing company incorporated in February 1905 for the express purpose of publishing the ency ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Universi Dominici Gregis
''Universi Dominici gregis'' is an apostolic constitution of the Catholic Church issued by Pope John Paul II on 22 February 1996. It superseded Pope Paul VI's 1975 apostolic constitution, '' Romano Pontifici eligendo'', and all previous apostolic constitutions and orders on the subject of the election of the pope. ''Universi Dominici gregis'' ("the Lord's whole flock", from the opening statement "The Shepherd of the Lord's whole flock is the Bishop of the Church of Rome"), subtitled ''On the Vacancy of the Apostolic See and the Election of the Roman Pontiff'', deals with the vacancy of the See of Rome, i.e., the papacy. The constitution modified, or in some cases confirmed, the rules for the conclave. It also clarified, during a ''sede vacante'', which matters could be handled by the College of Cardinals and which matters were reserved for the future pope. The constitution was later amended by Pope Benedict XVI with the '' motu proprios'' ''De aliquibus mutationibus in nor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apostolic Constitution
An apostolic constitution () is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pg. 57, footnote 36. By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use the title ''apostolic constitution'' and treat solemn matters of the church, such as the promulgation of laws or definitive teachings. The forms dogmatic constitution and pastoral constitution are titles sometimes used to be more descriptive as to the document's purpose. Apostolic constitutions are issued as papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...s because of their solemn, public form. Among types of papal legislation, apostolic letters issued '' motu proprio'' are next in solemnity. References Citations Sourc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dean Of The College Of Cardinals
The dean of the College of Cardinals () presides over the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church, serving as ('first among equals'). The position was established in the 12th century. He always holds the rank of a cardinal bishop and is assisted by a vice-dean. Both are elected by and from the cardinal bishops who are not Eastern Catholic patriarchs, with their election subject to papal confirmation. Except for presiding over the college, the dean and vice-dean have no power over the other cardinals. In the order of precedence in the Catholic Church, the dean and vice-dean, as the two most senior cardinals, are placed second and third, respectively, after the pope. For centuries, the cardinal bishop who had been a bishop of a suburbicarian see the longest was the dean. This custom became a requirement with the canon law of 1917. On 26 February 1965, Pope Paul VI empowered the cardinal bishops to elect the dean from among their number. Both the dean and subdean must reside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
