POPE 



4756 



POPE 



number of others that have originated and 

 fallen, while it continued to flourish. The Ro- 

 man Catholic offer- evidence that 

 the Church is not nu rely a human institution 

 but that it is built "upon a rock," despite the 

 human weaknesses that have manifested thein- 

 st Ives with the chanin^ of time. The govern- 

 ment of the Pope in spiritual matters is su- 

 preme, and through the power vested in him 

 and the divine assistance promised him as the 

 of Saint Peter, his teachings in doc- 

 trinal matters when he speaks ex cathedra, 

 that is. in discharge of his office, are accepted 

 as infallible. 



Insignia of Office. The Pope ordinarily wears 

 the garb of the other bishops, but this is 

 always white in color; he wears out-of-doors 

 a low, broad-brimmed hat. The tiara, the 

 pontifical headdress, is used only in procession. 

 H - liturgical vestments are those of the 

 bishops, but the pallium a yoke of wool is 

 always worn when officiating. The pontifical 

 ring and the cross of gold, containing a relic 

 of the true Cross, constitute his jewels. He 

 is addressed as ''Your Holiness." 



Election of the Pope. The Pope is elected by 

 a two-thirds' vote of all the cardinals, who 

 :nble as the College of Cardinals especially 

 for that purpose. Their number varies from 

 sixty to seventy, according to different Papal 

 appointments. Closeted in a room which is 

 made absolutely secure from intrusion and 

 outside influence, they remain for hours or 

 days, as need be, previous to the election, seek- 

 ing divine assistance, through prayer, asking for 

 the guiding light to direct them in their choice. 

 Over the seat of each of the cardinals a canopy 

 is arranged, and at the close of the ballot all 

 the canopies are lowered save that of the suc- 

 cessful candidate. The smoke issuing from 

 the ballots, which are burned after the election, 

 proclaims to the eager, excited throngs await- 

 ing outside that a choice has been made. 

 Upon his accession to the throne the Pope 

 assumes a new name. Owing to the geograph- 

 ical position of Rome, and the fact that the 

 majority of cardinals are Italians, the Popes 

 for centuries have been Italians. The last one 

 of foreign birth was Adrian VI, of Utrecht, 

 who was elected in 1522. 



Vicissitudes of Papal Power. The date of 

 Peter's first appearance in Rome is disputed, 

 but critics quite generally agree that he was 

 there in A. D. 64, when the Christian community 

 was already established, and that he built his 

 church and suffered martyrdom there in the 



time of Nero. During the fourth and fifth 

 centuries the Roman Primacy was enhanced 

 in power, and definite recognition of its spirit- 

 ual supremacy was manifested when Leo the 

 Great, from 440 to 461, endeavored to preserve 

 the Greek Church from the degeneracy into 

 which it had fallen. Accordingly, in 451 a 

 conclave of 630 bishops and four Papal legates 

 assembled to hear the decree of Leo; they 

 are reported to have exclaimed unanimously: 

 "What Leo believes we all believe; anathema 

 to him who believes anything else. Peter has 

 spoken by the mouth of Leo." Despite the 

 fact that the people of the East received the 

 decree with resentment, all Italy turned to Lea 

 when Attila, King of the Huns, devastated Eu- 

 rope and appeared before Rome. Upon being 

 met by Leo, he withdrew without attack. 

 Again the city was spared from fire and sword, 

 through Leo's influence with Genseric, leader 

 of the Vandals. During the next 300 years the 

 Papacy accomplished the most arduous work 

 that has fallen to the lot of an historic institu- 

 tion, that of spreading the faith among the 

 Anglo-Saxons, the Visigoths, the Franks and 

 the Lombards. About this time the Benedic- 

 tine Order of Monks was founded, and they 

 initiated the work of civilizing Europe. In 800, 

 when Leo III, on Christmas Day in Saint 

 Peter's Church, crowned Charlemagne Emperor 

 of the West, pagan Rome lost its influence in 

 the world. 



The power of the Papacy gradually increased, 

 literature was revived, and the soil of art and 

 science was made fertile. However, in the 

 midst of this power, the condition of the Pa- 

 pacy reflected the evils of the times; it became 

 spiritually weakened by corrupt administration 

 and disorders in elections, and by the sale of, 

 bishoprics and church property for personal 

 gain. Church officers became the vassals of 

 lords; consequently, it is not surprising that 

 men were appointed to the Papacy merely in 

 the interest of their rulers. These practices were 

 abandoned when Otto the Great in 962 was 

 crowned emperor. In less than 100 years the 

 Roman clergy and laity were again empowered 

 to select the Pope. In the middle of the 

 eleventh century Pope Nicholas instituted the 

 College of Cardinals, which was to choose the 

 Pope, the choice to be confirmed by the em- 

 peror and approved by the clergymen and 

 laity. 



The pontificate of Gregory (540-604) is a 

 luminous period in Papal history; he insisted 

 on the celibacy of the clergy and suppressed 



