The Catholic Church can be considered a Roman institution and a global institution. It is a religious establishment, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, and has followers from all over the world. The Catholic Church is one of the largest organized religions in the world with over one billion members. There is a historical connection of the Church to Roman culture and most Romans are Catholic. However, I believe it to be equally a Roman institution as well as a global institution.
The Catholic Church has strong ties to the city of Rome. The Church is centered in Rome and Rome is where Vatican City is located. Vatican City is the center of the Catholic Church and is where the pope resides. There has been an influence of the Church on Roman culture since 312 AD when Christianity became the dominant religion in Rome. This influence can be seen in the number of Catholic churches that are located around the city as well in the religious art and history of Rome. Yet at the same time, the Church has a global influence.
People, from all over the world (Catholics and non-Catholics), travel to Rome in order to pay homage to the Catholic Church. Many Catholics make this pilgrimage to Rome because to further their spirituality. Others come to just see the places that have significance. I think that this adds to the worldliness of the Church. Rome is home to several significant religious sites, where people visit, such as the Scala Santa, which are the steps that Jesus walked up on the way to his trial, and St. Peter’s Basilica, as well to attend a Papal audience to see the Pope.
As a class, we had the honor of being present at a Papal Audience and to have our names said during the audience. When I was at the Papal Audience, I thought that it was going to be a spiritual experience where one would listen and show respect to the Pope and therefore the Church. It was not like that at all: I was surprised and upset to see how the crowd behaved. As one classmate said it was like it was attending a football game. People where shouting and waving at the cameras and would interrupt the Pope and bishops at times. Yet it wasn't all bad as it was amazing to see how many different nationalities were there and acknowledged. Among those present were French, English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Swiss, and as well as Italian. Pope Benedict XVI spoke in these languages which, to me, further shows how global the Church is.
Being a non-Catholic it is interesting being in Rome and being exposed to the Catholic Church. Although I am personally not a Catholic, I have always thought of the Church as being more of a global institution because people from all over the world classify themselves as Catholics. And being in Rome I still get think of it as a global institution (I see a lot of tourists at the sites I have visited). Yet, while residing in Rome for the last six weeks, I have become more aware of how close the city of Rome and the Church are. I knew that Vatican City was in Rome, but I didn't really think about how the two interacted or were connected. I now realize how close the two are and have learned a lot about the Catholic Church in general.
Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments on your experience at the Papal audience, I too felt that same way. I think that people often come to things such as the Papal audience just for the chance to see the Pope and that's all well and good, but there is a line, I feel, that was crossed by many of the people that attended the audience. I couldn't believe the disrespect that was going on towards the Pope, although to him it is not disrespect but, I guess, loyalty and love. This gives mixed signals to people like me who grew-up being taught that reverence and respect was given to ordained men and women, especially the Pope.
I agree that the Catholic Church is equally a Roman and Global Institution. There are so many reasons for arguing each. As you had said, people from all of the world travel to Rome to visit the Vatican because it is the center of the church. People may believe it is a Roman institution because Rome is where the church started, but it is also all over the world, and the largest religion.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Church is global. It is proven in the fact the Pope speaks so many languages. The Church is wise enough to elect a Pope who can communicate to people all over the world. When someone hears another person speak a language they do not comprehend then it is hard to relate but when they speak the language that you speak it is more moving. To someone who argues that the Church is a Roman institution only, I would point out that a Italian would be Pope right now opposed to Germany where Pope Benedict XVI comes from.