S
Servus_Rosarium
Guest
This is a short dialogue from a recent conversation I’ve had. His reply quite stumped me.
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J
JRKH
Guest
Christ was NOT subject to the rule of Caesar except to the extent that the Father permitted it.
John 19:11, "Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above…”
God permitted Caesar to have power over Jesus but not authority - not “rule”.
Peace
James
John 19:11, "Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above…”
God permitted Caesar to have power over Jesus but not authority - not “rule”.
Peace
James
M
Mintaka
Guest
The main reason that the Pope has a state today is that, in Pope St. Gregory the Great’s time, the government of the Roman Empire collapsed in Italy and the Roman Senate and other city institutions didn’t pick up the slack. St. Greg was a born administrator and was good at running things on almost nothing while still managing to feed and clothe the poor, so everybody looked to the Pope to pick up the city pieces. The state of emergency didn’t end until fifteen or sixteen hundred years had passed, because the Roman Empire never really did come back and Rome had about a zillion ups and downs. Once things settled down, people stopped wanting the Pope to run things so much; and stuff happened accordingly to the papal lands and Papal States.
Generally, “stuff hit the fan and nobody else cleaned it up” is the way you know God wants you to do something. Pepple cleaning it up is how you know God wants you to retire.
At this point, the Pope has an eensy-beensy sovereign state only. Why? Because Italy doesn’t really want to pay for maintaining all the historical stuff, and because the Pope doesn’t really want Italy’s governments being tempted to try to run the Catholic Church. (As has happened many times before, whenever the Pope was at the mercy of a local government.) Sovereignty in this case is a sort of visible religious freedom. It also allows the Vatican to deal diplomatically, as a sovereign state, with countries and dictators that won’t deal with Catholicism as a religion. (“All things to all men” with a vengeance.)
Mind you, if Italy decided seriously to take over Vatican City, the Swiss Guard wouldn’t be able to fight them off. They’re designed as a security force for small threats, and in the last resort they can cover the Pope’s escape while dying bravely. (As they have before.) It’s a very fragile sovereignty, as both Mussolini and the Nazis constantly emphasized.
I hope this helped.
Generally, “stuff hit the fan and nobody else cleaned it up” is the way you know God wants you to do something. Pepple cleaning it up is how you know God wants you to retire.
At this point, the Pope has an eensy-beensy sovereign state only. Why? Because Italy doesn’t really want to pay for maintaining all the historical stuff, and because the Pope doesn’t really want Italy’s governments being tempted to try to run the Catholic Church. (As has happened many times before, whenever the Pope was at the mercy of a local government.) Sovereignty in this case is a sort of visible religious freedom. It also allows the Vatican to deal diplomatically, as a sovereign state, with countries and dictators that won’t deal with Catholicism as a religion. (“All things to all men” with a vengeance.)
Mind you, if Italy decided seriously to take over Vatican City, the Swiss Guard wouldn’t be able to fight them off. They’re designed as a security force for small threats, and in the last resort they can cover the Pope’s escape while dying bravely. (As they have before.) It’s a very fragile sovereignty, as both Mussolini and the Nazis constantly emphasized.
I hope this helped.
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