The indulgence system was formalized by Pope Urban II (1035–1099) during the Council of Clermont in 1095. If an individual performed enough good deeds to earn a full or ‘Plenary’ indulgence from the Pope or lesser ranks of churchmen, all their sins (and punishment) would be erased. What Pope didRead More →
After nearly two thousand years of existence, the Papacy is the oldest continuing absolute monarchy in the world. Is the papacy a kingdom? The Papal Kingdom (Latin: Regnum Pontificium, Italian: Regno Papale) was a historical state in the Italian Peninsula under the direct rule of the Pope, lasting from 735Read More →
In the 103 years since Vatican I, this authority has been used only once, in 1950, when Pope Pius XII solemnly defined The new dogma of the Virgin Mary’s bodily assumption to Heaven. Where does it say that the pope is infallible? The First Vatican Council in 1869-70, in itsRead More →
The ordinary and universal episcopal magisterium is considered infallible as it relates to a teaching concerning a matter of faith and morals that all the bishops of the Church (including the Pope) universally hold as definitive and only as such therefore needing to be accepted by all the faithful. IsRead More →
Borgia Family, Spanish Borja, descendants of a noble line, originally from Valencia, Spain, that established roots in Italy and became prominent in ecclesiastical and political affairs in the 1400s and 1500s. The house of the Borgias produced two popes and many other political and church leaders. How many popes haveRead More →