Almost everything about catholic faith revolves around events that (allegedly) happened in the Middle East. Most of the holiest sites seem to be there in relation to the bible’s depiction of events. So wouldn’t it make sense that the pope/vatican would place its power center as near as possible from the holiest sites? How did it come to be Rome? Was this a decision based on the current political climate at the time or was there a reason based on faith/rethoric of the church?
In: 89
There are several factors:
* The Catholic Church is centered around the Bishop of Rome, the successor to St. Peter. Catholic doctrine holds that Peter was granted particular authorities over the other apostles by Jesus, which is mirrored by the authority the Pope has over the other clergy.
* The Islamic conquests of the 7th century caused the entirety of the Levant and North Africa, previously strong Christian institutional strongholds, to fall fully under Islamic control. While the various institutions (such as the Patriarch of Jerusalem) still remained, they were greatly diminished in power.
* In the 11th century, a theological schism formed between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople over various doctrinal and political disputes that had been forming over the prior decades and centuries. The ecclesiastical divisions roughly lined up with the Latin-speaking and Greek-speaking areas of the former Roman empire.
Latest Answers