The Rise and Decline of Papacy

Question- The rise and decline of Papacy.
Answer-
Introduction-
The Papacy is the term for the office and the authority of the pope of Rome, the successor of
St. Peter as Bishop of Rome and head of the universal church. Also called “the pontiff”, “the
holy father” and “the Vicar of Christ”, the pope is the spiritual head of all Christendom and a
visible symbol of unity in the church. In every religion there need a controlling authority to
eradicate the theological controversies of that religion. In Christianity that controlling power is
known as Papacy which risen in the early middle ages. The instability in the west created a
power vacuum there that many groups sought to fill. One of these competing groups was the
church. In this section we look at the successful rise of pope in this power struggle. My aim is to
discuss about the reasons of rising and declining of the papacy.
Pope-
The pope is the bishop of Rome. The name derives from a Greek word “Pappas”, meaning
father, and Rome's bishop is seen as the father figure of the early church because of the link
with St Peter. Jesus is believed to have appointed Peter as the rock on which the church will be
built; and Peter is believed to have been martyred in Rome. As the capital of the empire, Rome
is also a natural centre for the growing church.
Other sources show that the word pope derives from “Pastor” which means the guider. The
office of the pope is called the papacy.
The Rise of Papacy-
During the early middle ages at the time of power vacuum the papacy became the one
enduring institution with links to the past that could give some stability. Early in Christian
history, bishops were considered equals. The title pope was applied to any bishop. It was only
in the late Middle Ages that the West used it exclusively for the bishop of Rome.
Reasons behind the Rise of Papacy-
In spite of the importance of Eastern Church leadership, a tradition began to develop that
considered the bishop in Rome as the most important Christian leader. Eventually this
tradition led to the idea that the bishop of Rome was the supreme Christian leader. This idea is
known as the papal primacy, which acted as a catalyst of rising papacy. The reasons of rising
papacy are given below-
1. Concept of the Keys of Kingdom:
According to Matthew Chapter 16, Jesus told to the Peter,
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth
should be bound in heaven and whatever you loose of earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The basis of Roman Catholic doctrine on papal primacy resting partly on Christ’s bestowing
the “keys of kingdom” on Peter (the first pope, according to the Roman Catholic tradition).
As Peter was the first pope of Rome, the Catholic authority proclaimed that the popes of
Rome would enjoy special favor as the head of the all churches.
2. Petrine Theory-
The basis of Roman Catholic doctrine on papal primacy resting partly on Christ’s words
“And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.” (Mt. 16:18)
This is known as the Petrine Theory. It was believed that the power given to Peter was
transferred to all other popes of Rome.
3. Death of Peter and Paul in Rome-
Peter is considered as the first pope of Rome and Paul is considered as the second founder
of Christianity. Both of these important figures died at Rome. So it was believed that there
was a divine spirit which encircles the Rome.
4. The First Council of Nicaea-
During the time of first Council of Nicaea, Constantine the Great, who convened the
council, granted Roman pope Sylvester I over all Western Europe. It made the popes of
Rome more powerful which tremendously helped to the rise of papacy.
Some Prominent Figures-
Some prominent figures of Roman Catholic Church are as follows-

1. Pope Leo the Great(440-461)-
Pope Leo the Great convinced every group that he was the successor of Peter and the Lord
had given to him the care of the whole Church. So, who did not recognizes the authority
was outside of the body of Christ (the Church).
2. Pope Gelasius I(492-496)-
Pope Gelasius was one of Leo’s successors who declared that priestly power above kingly
power. The chair of St. Peter is supreme. There can be no appeals for its decision. So the
emperors must submit to the pope in the concerning of the church.
3. Pope Gregory the Great(540-604)-
Pope Gregory the Great was the most prominent pope who advanced the claim of papal
primacy in its full sense. He was considered as the politician, reformer and a theologian.
4. Pope Nicholas(858-867)-
Under Pope Nicholas, the papacy enjoyed the period of independence and supremacy. His
doctrine of papal infallibility became wrong.
Decline of Papacy-
To secure papa’s authority it was vital all opposition, suspicion, contradiction and objection no
matter how large or trivial were dealt with severely. The act of one man and his ability to
oppose this hierarchy could cause the entire house of card to collapse. This attitude along side
Papal pride resulted in jeopardy, such as Honorious iii treatment of king Fredrick ii which
escalated to Papal atrocities against European nations; the unity was damaged, never to be
restored and marked the beginning of Papal decay. However, a range of other factors were
involved and they are described below
1. Rising of some new ideas-
The criticism emerged along with various new ideas such as humanism and liberalism.
2. Expansion of Europe-
With the building of Europe, its new cities and the expansion of cities, Papacy was unable
to control the mindset.
3. Declining the importance of Rome-
Rome as a geographical centrality was losing its importance particularly when Avignon
began to exceed it in its popularity. One source of the problem may have originated in the
influential decline of church buildings as local centralities; instead the population turned to
their own family saints, building their own shrines, and even demanding ownership of the
church property.
4. Breaking of Catholic Nations-
Catholic nations gradually broke away which might be the one of the main causes of
declining papacy.
5. Papal Infallibility-
Pope Nicholas’s theory of papal infallibility (Nothing the pope does is wrong) made the
position of pope above all mankind and also made his work unquestionable. It demolished
the character of pope.
6. False Decretal-
In 850 AD Archbishop of Reims made a false church legislation with the help of Pope
Nicholas. It was a part of series of falsifications. Though it ensured papal primacy for a
century but it later collapsed the entire system.
7. Collapsed System-
The high power of pope departed them from their original position. They were seen as no
more spiritual leader but landlord and engage themselves with the petty fight of Italian
politics.
8. Weak Controlling System-
The lowest point of papacy was 867-1049. The papacy came under the control of political
factions. Popes were imprisoned, starved and killed by force.
Conclusion-
In fine it can be said that at the beginning of the Christian era, the papacy was inaugurated as
the powerful authority of Christianity. But with the expansion of time this system of papacy
became a matter of discord in Christian era which resulted the decline of papacy. The decline
of papacy in the middle age was not the total decline. There were hundreds of rise and decline
that papacy saw throughout the ages.

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Question- The rise and decline of Papacy.

The Rise of Papacy-

Reasons behind the Rise of Papacy-

According to Matthew Chapter 16, Jesus told to the Peter,

3. Death of Peter and Paul in Rome-

4. The First Council of Nicaea-

Some Prominent Figures-

Some prominent figures of Roman Catholic Church are as follows-

2. Pope Gelasius I(492-496)-

3. Pope Gregory the Great(540-604)-

1. Rising of some new ideas-

3. Declining the importance of Rome-

4. Breaking of Catholic Nations-

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