Why do you think most popes and Cardinals were Italian for so long?

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Shepard

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And I do know that the Pope is the Bishop of Rome… 🙂

Is it do to natural communication and travel barriers? Do you think the popes were Italian for so long because the majority of the “voters” were Italian? A friend at work asked, and I told him probably due to the fact that the church was not so mobile til recently.
Thanks in advance!
 
You are getting very close to the answer. The number of Cardinals representing South & North America is a small percent of the total number of Cardinals. Italy has a disprortionate number of Cardinals. Italy is over represented.

Although Europe has just 25% of all the Catholics in the world, I hear they have about 45 % of the Cardinals. Correct me if I am wrong.
 
These things will be corrected with the time, we have to know that communications weren´t so good than now
 
The Holy Spirit loves Italians more than He does other people.
 
In addition to being the Supreme Pontiff, he is also the bishop of Rome. Someone who must be able to relate to the people of the diocese of Rome (speaking the language etc). Nowadays its quite common for one to speak many languages, I don’t know about times past.
 
remember, in the early years even the people of rome took part in the voting…
 
**They were the best cooks with the best food through those times. The Holy Spirt loves Italian food.

The only reason the French never elected a Pope is because they were too busy surrendering to some country to pay attention to Papal Elections.

The Germans were too busy marching into France all the time.

The Russians were too Dumb. They were too busy making Diesel powered Microwave ovens.

The Swiss were too neutral. Could not make up their minds as to who to vote for.

The Sweeds were too busy chasing after each other.

The British were too busy buying up land all over the world and cutting off everyone’s head.

As Far as us Americans? Never happen.
The property values around Vatican City are too high to tear down and build strip malls and apt. complexes.

LOL

PiusX
**
 
Until recently, theg pope also bore signifigant political power as governor of the papal states and such. The worldview of concerns was uniquely Italian and Eurocentric (in many ways it still is Eurocentric). The role of the papacy has developed and changed as have the concerns grown in a worldwide sense, particularly with how we have all grown closer together in this world in an immidate and interconnected sense. The college of cardinals has grown to the point that there is greater participation of and familairity with these prelates and their concerns. An emphasis upon collegiality of the episcopate has also helped this change to occur. The papacy is more of a worldwide pastoral role now than ever, more than a parochial Italian see. In a sense, this isn’t that much different than how bishops traditionally rose up through the ranks until very recently, with a local priest becoming bishop of his diocese and staying in that position for life. In the case of Rome, they would just choose a fellow Italian.
 
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Richardols:
The Holy Spirit loves Italians more than He does other people.
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Unless you believe it, which somehow I doubt that you do, what a mean-spirited, bigoted remark and a childish attempt at sarcasm to boot.
 
At least from the 16th Century through modern times another good reason why Popes were always Italian is because Italy was not a great power. In fact Italy didn’t even exist until the 19th century. Italy was dominated by Spain from the 16th Century until the 18th Century. Therefore none of the other great powers would support a Spanish Pope. And Spain would not support a French Pope since France was their mortal enemy and it was feared that a French Pope would work against Spanish power. Once France rose to power in the late 17th Century, they would exert pressure to make sure that no Austrian Pope was ever elected. Bottom line is that the Catholic Great Powers, all of whom had varying powers of veto over who was elected Pope would not stomach that a subject of any of the other Powers should be elected. It was safest to elect Italians since they did not have any political base from which to compete with the other powers.
 
Italians like to keep certain things exclusively in the ‘family’ .
 
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contemplative:
Italians like to keep certain things exclusively in the ‘family’ .
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Right. “La Cosa Nostra” means “our thing” - and that thing is exclusively a “family” matter.
 
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