The Cambridge History of the Papacy<\/a>,\u201d published by the prestigious Cambridge University Press, provides a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary examination of the papacy from its creation and development as a central institution in the world that affects the lives of millions of Catholics to its vast influence on society, culture and world affairs for centuries. The three volumes address such topics as the pope\u2019s dominion within the Church; papal authority as an instrument of governance; the papacy\u2019s influence on such areas as art, science, medicine, and diplomacy; and its response to issues such as the role of the women in the Church, reproductive rights around the globe, and sexual scandals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThis is the first in-depth history of the papacy covering topics thematically and chronologically,\u201d Rollo-Koster says. \u201cThere have been encyclopedia and dictionary projects but never such a work, written by specialists on each subject. It is a critical historical survey of the structural development of the papacy as an institution, and as an actor in Church history and world history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like other Cambridge histories, the three volumes \u2013 researched and authored by more than 90 specialists over its 2,400 pages \u2013 is meant to be a chief reference for the next century. Rollo-Koster, a frequently sought after media commentator on Church issues, was the lead editor on the project, working with Robert A. Ventresca, a professor of history at King\u2019s University College at Western University; Melodie H. Eichbauer, professor of medieval history at Florida Gulf Coast University; and Miles Pattenden, a teacher of history at the University of Oxford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not light reading,\u201d Rollo-Koster says with a laugh. \u201cWe cover a huge array of history. But this has nothing to do with faith. This is how historians look at the papacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps the oldest institution in the world, the papacy has had a direct influence not only on religion, but culture, politics, economy and society, she says. It has continued to remain relevant amid globalization with modern popes, such as John Paul II and Francis, making large efforts at interfaith communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of people, especially up until the 16th<\/sup> century,\u201d says Rollo-Koster. \u201cAs the Church has become global, we can see it continuing to have an impact in places where it has not before, like Asia, and in places where there have been profound and important other religions. It\u2019s still expanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt’s been able to last for centuries \u2013 and grow to more than 1.406 billion followers \u2013 by adapting and reinventing itself when needed. And it has stayed relevant as popes, such as Francis, have taken stands on issues such as climate change and LGBTQIA+ issues. \u201cIt changes. It goes with the flow,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it\u2019s always floating, always remaining on the top. I think its capacity for adaptation has to be the key.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has also managed to weather crises, such as the sexual-abuse scandal over the last three decades. For an institution which claims celibacy as an ideal, says Rollo-Koster, there might not be a deeper crisis. But while paying out billions in settlements, the Church is hardly diminished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt has a political capacity at standing its ground,\u201d she adds. \u201cI think it has a long institutional memory where it has gone through everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In its history, there have been many challenges as the papacy was established. The top might be the pope\u2019s right to fundamental authority over sovereigns, not only on matters of religion but on governance. Other threats to its power have included radical movements\u2014such as the Protestant Reformation\u2014that challenged the pope\u2019s infallibility, and the loss of papal territories, which forced the papacy to adopt a system where its revenues were not land-based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe papacy invented taxations in the Middle Ages,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the lead editor, Rollo-Koster edited or re-read the 90-plus articles in the three volumes numerous times. She came across a lot of history she did not know. \u201cWe are all specialists. We spend our life in our centuries,\u201d says Rollo-Koster, a specialist on the 10th<\/sup> to 14th<\/sup> centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAmong the articles that stood out for her was the papacy\u2019s use of radio and TV to connect with the faithful\u2014after having banned the use of the printing press in the 15th<\/sup> century. As a child in France, her family didn\u2019t own a TV but she remembers listening to the pope on the radio with her m\u00e9m\u00e9. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cFor me, this is great because I think here you see the savviness of the papacy. From the 1930s, the moment these new media appeared, they jumped on it. From there on, you start seeing the pope in his Popemobile and his travels,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was brilliant. This is what made the success of the papacy, the capacity to adapt. Not really changing the message, but changing the way the message was transmitted.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 March 31, 2025 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 medieval scholar Jo\u00eblle Rollo-Koster spent January conducting research at the Vatican Apostolic Archives in Rome. As she walked around Rome and Vatican City, she was stunned by the languages spoken by the faithful who visited the city for the Catholic Church\u2019s 2025 Jubilee Year. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":101221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101219"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101224,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101219\/revisions\/101224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2025\/03\/Joelle-class-1024x683.jpg\")