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In 1622, a counter-reformist concept of the mission led to the foundation of Propaganda Fide, a congregation to which the Supreme Pontiffs entrusted various tasks at the global level, including the reassertion of the pope's authority over missionary activities, which had previously been dominated by European secular powers using the patronage system. In carrying out its mandate, the new Congregation also charged apostolic nuncios, almost entirely Italian, with collecting information from and establishing direct contacts with the states of Catholic Christianity and of missionary territories beyond. These nuncios not only performed activities of a religious nature but also served as diplomats and representatives of the pope, endowed with particular powers and faculties. This article introduces the role of apostolic nuncios and analyzes the results of the first of these sent by the Propaganda Fide to China, Charles Thomas Maillard de Tournon. It will show that, as the first papal legate to China, he was not entirely successful in his objectives, but his mission can be seen as a turning point in the history of relations between the Holy See and China and as an important episode which helps us to understand not only early Sino–papal relations but also the development of the new global vision of the Catholic Church as it was formulated by the Propaganda Fide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Materiales para la Historia del Deporte is the property of Polytechnic University of Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Chile and Argentina signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship in Vatican City in 1984. The result of six years of papal mediation, this treaty marked the end of a territorial dispute with roots over a century old. A successful resolution of conflicting territorial claims was by no means guaranteed at the outset, and hostilities threatened to break out during the negotiations. Nevertheless, the Treaty of Peace and Friendship resolved territorial issues and navigation rights, and Chile and Argentina remain at peace today. Contrary to predictions based on mechanisms borrowed from a theory of mediation and peacekeeping from Smith and Stam, a biased and powerless mediator credibly facilitated the exchange of the “wrong” kind of information and, without resorting to the “right” leverage, successfully formulated a peace treaty, and the treaty remains in force nearly four decades later. The fields of history, religious studies, international relations, and diplomacy offer an interdisciplinary framework to explore and explain this unexpected result. While it is not possible to derive a general theory of mediation and conflict resolution from a single example, this case highlights the importance of confidentiality, institutional patience, information management, and flexibility as salient characteristics of the Holy See’s successful role as a weak mediator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented study deals with the personality of the Greek Catholic bishop of Prešov Štefan Novák, especially with his resignation from office after the establishment of Czechoslovakia in the autumn of 1918. In the context of changed political and religious conditions, it analyzes his personality in the reflection of Church dignitaries and Czechoslovak-Vatican relations which it interprets as unacceptable for the Slovak environment Catholicism after the fall of the Habsburg Monarchy. In the completely new socio-political conditions after 1918, Štefan Novák was criticized not only for his numerous absences and moral life but also for not being accepted by the priests and Christians of the diocese. When he offered to resign from his post after leaving the country in 1919, he understood this step primarily as an expression of loyalty in relation to the Holy See. In a broader context, his resignation contributed to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Czechoslovakia and the Holy See and made it possible to replace him in Prešov with a bishop who was able to address his diocese a better pastoral care with an emphasis on the Slovak Catholic element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented study The Holy See on the Threshold of the World War I in 1914 deals with the situation and attitude of the Holy See before World War I and shortly after its beginning. It reflects not only its internal changes before the conflict but also reflects on its presence in international relations at the beginning of the 20th century, in relation to the countries of the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. It explains the position of the Holy See, analyzes the first reactions of Catholic head Pius X and, from the end of the summer of 1914, his successor Benedict XV on war operations. The involvement of the Holy See is understandable primarily because the war threatened the international position of the Catholic Church and its administration by making the contact of the Holy See with individual national churches more complicated while many acts were postponed in view of the ongoing world conflict. The material, spiritual and political conditions of the priests in individual dioceses deteriorated, as did the contact of the Holy See with them. The Pope's situation was all the more complicated because none of his predecessors was in a similar international situation of a war conflict of a global nature. The text is based on both published documents of an official nature and sources from the Austrian and Vatican archives which it confronts with numerous literature, especially of foreign provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Research overviews of and historiography on the attitude of the Catholic Church and theologians towards athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities assume that the Church and theologians have only very recently begun to interest themselves in this subject. Starting from John Paul II's contribution to this field, and above all from his integral anthropological vision, this article assesses his position by comparing it with that of his two successors Benedict XVI and Francis. Especially the latter's addresses and interviews and the official documents on sport issued by the Holy See during his pontificate are testimony to his special commitment to athletes with disabilities. The article also examines the history of the Holy See and studies its attention to athletes with a disability. The results of this inquiry are that papal interest in this field is not limited to, nor did it start with the pontificate of John Paul II. Instead, it dates from the very beginning of the modern phenomenon of sport, with Pope Pius X at the beginning of the 20th century, continued by Pius XII and John XXIII. The latter's speech to the participants of the first Paralympic Games in 1960 is the strongest indication of a pre-John Paul II affirmation of disabled sport. This points to the importance of taking a more nuanced position in the current debate, although it is clear that Pope Francis must be considered the champion of the Holy See's commitment to the inclusion of athletes with a disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the occasion of the first centenary of the death of Antonín Cyril Stojan, Archbishop of Olomouc from 1921 to 1923, the article provides an original interpretation of some relevant aspects of his spiritual legacy. In analysing a number of documents kept in the Vatican Apostolic Archives (Archivio Apostolico Vaticano) and in the Archive of the Congregation for Oriental Churches (Archivio della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali), the author outlines the peculiarity of Stojan’s contribution to the quest for unity among Christians. The organization of the seven Union Congresses of Velehrad, held from 1907 up to 1936, based on Stojan’s intuition, took place in a very difficult political and social context, including the First World War. Stojan showed how hope for a future good is not only linked to the present external conditions: it can be concretely cultivated in the forms granted by the age in which one lives. For this reason, even after his death, during the pontificate of Pius XI, the cycles of Congresses and moments of prayer and study of the Eastern Churches of the Byzantine liturgical tradition that Stojan had begun, continued. Regarding this original way of approaching interconfessional relations, some significant documents kept in the aforementioned Archives can shed light on two relevant dimensions of these cycles of Congresses, which remain faithful to the Catholic Church and rejecting proselytism as a means of spreading Catholicism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Council of Lateran IV (1215) was a landmark in the history of European law, when it required ecclesiastical courts to entrust the jurisdiction of the diocese to a person learned in canon law, among other things. This provision was the corollary of the rule that medieval canon law judges were, as a rule, persons who were well versed in the law and who had typically acquired their knowledge at universities. The situation was somewhat different in Hungary, where there was no university in the Middle Ages, but the extensive jurisdiction of the Holy See meant that the institutions of domestic law had to be applied, and the use of lawyers who knew Hungarian law was therefore indispensable. An important feature of medieval ecclesiastical jurisprudence was that, because of the high level of canon law knowledge required, judges were happy and often called upon the assistance of learned canon lawyers (iurisperiti) in complex cases. These lawyers, with their outstanding knowledge, were typically specialists in Roman canon law (ius novum) in the western countries of Europe, but in Hungary they were more likely to be specialists in the customary law of the nobility. Both groups of persons included the most qualified jurists of their time, and the institutional background for the acquisition of knowledge was provided by the universities. It was in these universities that learned law was taught, and not only substantive law but also a new model of procedural law (inquisitio) was created, based on the late Roman investigative trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the changes that took place after World War I in the life of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alba Iulia led by Bishop Gusztáv Károly Mailáth. This was the only new diocese in Romania to retain all the historical territory it had previously held in the AustroHungarian Monarchy, whereas all others that have suffered significant territorial losses. The Roman Catholic Church in Transylvania was largely ethnically Hungarian. The diocese was thus faced with the challenge of integrating in the Romanian ecclesiastical-administrative structures, while preserving its religious and ethnic characteristics. We are witnessing here the beginning of a “diplomatic game” between the Romanian Government, the Holy See and Bishop Mailáth. The issue at stake for the Roman Catholic Church in Transylvania was the preservation of confessional and ethnic identity in a new political framework. The integration culminated with the signing of the Concordat between Romania and the Holy See in 1927, but the road to the completion of this document is marked by many interesting developments, which provide an insight in the challenges of preserving confessional and ethnic identity while accommodating to new political circumstances and redefining the mission of a Catholic Church belonging to an ethnic minority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU has differentiated legal relationships with its nearest geographical neighbours. Arguably, none is more unique than that of the EU with the Vatican City State (VCS) (and by extension, the Holy See). Between the parties is a mere 'monetary agreement' that facilitates the official use of the single currency in the territory. It is the only bilateral legal commitment that the parties have undertaken. Yet, this apparent simplicity masks a deeper reality. In fact, the monetary agreement currently in place, which replaced a prior monetary agreement, has now de facto put in an institutional framework on the legal relations of the EU with the Vatican City State and Holy See, with a Joint Committee to govern monetary arrangements, and an obligation to implement, in its own way, many aspects of EU financial regulation. The monetary agreement also provides for jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union to settle disputes arising therefrom. This article contextualizes and analyses the legal relations of the EU with the Vatican City State and Holy See, and argues that more embedded legal relations in the future will be inevitable, leading beyond a mere monetary agreement, but one leading to the adopting of a more sophisticated international agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Holy See has been accused of violating its human rights obligations because of acts of sex abuse by the Catholic clergy. Such accusations are based, in various ways, on the authority of the Holy See over the clergy. The Holy See is often referred to as a state and its obligations as state obligations. UN treaty bodies understand that the human rights obligations of the Holy See, as a treaty party, are of a legal––not moral––nature and apply extraterritorially, i.e., beyond the territory of the Vatican City State. The notion of state jurisdiction is, therefore, applied to the Holy See in the same way as to any other state. UN treaty bodies implicitly conclude that, for the purpose of human rights responsibility, the crimes of the clergy must be attributed to the Holy See and that anyone under the religious authority of the Holy See is under its state jurisdiction. However, a closer examination of the nature of the Holy See and its authority under international law, church doctrine, and church law paints a more complex and nuanced picture, where it is hard to describe the clergy as state organs or religious authority as state jurisdiction. Still, there are reasons to understand that certain acts and omissions of the Holy See in the context of the sex abuse crisis can be characterized as violations of its positive obligations of conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the interwar period, the Hungarian revisionist actions determined the Romanian state to direct itself towards actors who could serve as weighting factors in order to maintain the status quo. The Holy See was considered one of the most relevant actors, having the necessary tools for intervention both inside the Romanian state, through the clergy and Catholic hierarchs of the Latin rite, mostly of Hungarian ethnicity, and externally, through the mediation offered by pontifical diplomats and Catholic hierarchs to the Hungarian government. This study proposes an analysis of the manner in which Romanian diplomacy articulates its strategy of swaying the Roman Curia in order to determine, on the one hand, a mediation at the political and diplomatic level with the Budapest government, and on the other hand, a weighting of the revisionist tendencies manifested by the Hungarian Catholic population within the Romanian state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article analyzes the policies and strategies of the Holy See to create new ecclesiastical circumscriptions during the administration of the apostolic nuncio Alessandro Bavona, who served between 1907 and 1911. I will focus on the relations between the Holy See, which formulated projects to reform, strengthen and expand the Catholic Church and the Brazilian episcopate, which often resisted, placed obstacles and delayed the advance of these policies. The sources were obtained from the Vatican Apostolic Archives and the Historical Archive of the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs. The creation of ecclesiastical jurisdictions served civil and, above all, ecclesiastical interests. It intended to organize the territory and the episcopal management, dividing the more extensive dioceses, with greater or lesser demographic density, with the aim of: making religious assistance effective for the population; disciplining the clergy; combating competing religions; christianizing indigenous peoples. The exceptional institutional expansion that occurred during the Bavona administration favored the expansion of the Catholic Church in society and its religious control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the policies of the Holy See with regard to the Hungarian church during the pontificate of Pope Innocent XII (1691-1700). In the course of the Great Turkish War (1683-1699) important territories of the Hungarian Kingdom had been liberated from Ottoman rule, and the bishoprics and other ecclesiastical institutions started to reorganise themselves there. Yet the filling of church benefices constituted a constant bone of contention between the Apostolic See and the Habsburg Court of Vienna on account of the traditional right of patronage (ius patronatus) of the Hungarian kings, and the internal disputes between the newly reorganised bishoprics were also brought to Rome. A particularly sensitive area in this respect was the situation of the Protestant Principality of Transylvania, now under Habsburg rule, where the Viennese court aimed at strengthening the Catholic Church. A special episode of the period was, in the context of the development of general European politics, the attempt by the Habsburg court to have the bishop of GyBr, Duke Christian August of Saxony-Zeitz, created a cardinal. Atl these issues shed light on the way the Hungarian Catholic Church had changed with the expulsion of the Ottomans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Obnovljeni zivot is the property of University of Zagreb, Society of Jesus and Faculty of Philosophy & Religious Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article analyzes the Apostolic Nuncios’ interventions in Brazil, the Holy See, and the episcopate in the Amazonian region to create new Catholic ecclesiastical circumscriptions between 1860 and 1930. The great territorial extension, the difficulties in the means of communication, the scarcity of clergy and resources, and the desire to optimize the religious assistance, counteract competing religions, and Christianize the indigenous people, justified the territorial dismemberment. These were political actions implemented as a result of specific interests of the Church and not as a consequence of a tacit alliance with the State. Our research sources were obtained in the Vatican Apostolic Archive and the Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs. They enabled us to understand the pontifical representatives’ connections and projects and of the Holy See and their relations with the episcopate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the nineteenth century, Portugal demanded recognition of the so-called 'historical rights of the Royal Patronage' by the Holy See as part of its missionary policy for Africa. These claims promptly led to a prolonged conflict over the action of the Propaganda Fide and Portuguese missionary achievements. While Lisbon feared the denationalization of missionary work, Rome was concerned about Portugal's internal policies on religious matters and its perceived inabilities to deal with the missionary challenges of the time, especially the Protestant competition over African hearts and minds. This text follows the discussions between Portugal and the Holy See over the missionary question, examining their confrontational and, apparently, irreconcilable positions, and the attempts made to regulate the exercise of the Royal Patronage through a concordat that became impossible to reach until the conclusion of a fragile and arguable modus vivendi concluded just before the implantation of the Republican regime in 1910. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The topic discussed in this article - European integrations and the Catholic Church - is content-wise very broad and could be approached in various ways. The author has opted, therefore, for a slightly original approach by starting with a narration of history of the two renowned institutions that managed, despite various inopportune circumstances they faced, to integrate themselves into contemporary European society with which they are in constant dialogue and which they enrich with new ideas. This refers to institutions that are related to the Catholic University Leuven in Belgium, whose activity is inspired by Christianity. In that sense, one could argue that they are a successful example, albeit a one that has to endure many hardships, of what is expected of contemporary states and their integrations, but also of the Catholic Church and its institutions. In the continuation of this article, the history and the present of contemporary European integrations, especially the European Union and its relation towards other countries on the European continent, as well as the specific relation of institutions and individuals towards religion, faith, and the Church, is concisely discussed. The theses that the author defends are backed up by statistical data and indicators. The author also offers an overview of activities of two European Catholic councils of conferences of bishops that are currently active and the relation of the Holy See towards Europe. All of this contributes to building up a common European home that is united in diversity of various countries, regions, languages, nations, and religions. The issue of one's own identity is, thereby, not denied by any means, because it has to be confirmed and testified by everyday life in community with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the history of relations between the Argentinean government and the Holy See, two ideas are permanently intertwined: signing the Concordat and defending national patronage. The changes that occurred in the 1960s indicated that exercising the right of patronage, based on the principles outlined in the Constitution, was impossible, and the peaceful establishment of the principles of bilateral relations could only be indicated through an international agreement. The Concordat signed by Argentina in 1966 removed the national patronage, but the changes to the content of the Constitution were introduced only in 1994. The aim of the study is to show the concordat agreement concluded in 1966 by Argentina with the Holy See as an example of an international agreement. The main focus is the presentation of concordat standards for the institution of patronage. Due to the subject and purpose of the study, the work uses methods typical of social sciences in the legal science discipline. The dogmatic-legal method is the basis for consideration of the Concordat as a source of Argentine law, and as an auxiliary method, the historical-legal method was used to show the historical background of the presented issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into account an interdisciplinary methodology that stablish the connection between the past situation and the current situation, this paper analyse the relationship between the Holy See and the Spanish State during the Second Republic, the Franco dictatorship and democracy. In this way, we will see advances and setbacks in the separation of church and state, as well as the problems that arise in this relationship today. All this situation is due to a bad process of the democratic memory in Spain during the Transition, which produces constitutional inconsistencies and democratic anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of eHumanista is the property of Professor Antonio Cortijo-Ocana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Religious information focused on the Vatican has no particular characteristics that distinguish it from news in other areas. Yet, covering the Holy See does entail certain demands that imply an enhanced flow of communication and timely reporting. This article analyzes the so-called Vaticanologists or Vatican experts, a particular breed of professional journalists who are accredited to the Press Office of the Holy See and are based in Rome or travel there often. A description of the various profiles is provided, followed by Vatican's institutional response to some of the requests, gaps or suggestions voiced by Vaticanologists to improve their reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The revelation of a series of child abuse incidents committed by Catholic priests and other members of religious orders has given rise to the question of establishing the responsibility of the Holy See for these acts under international human rights law. This article focuses on the report issued in 2014 by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the monitoring body of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (c r c ). It is argued that in order to fulfil this task we need to take three steps: first, to establish the relationship between the Vatican City state and the Hole See, a distinct and peculiar international legal subject To do so, a historical account of the Holy See and its position within the fabric of international law is considered necessary. Secondly, this article argues that the crc was ratified by the Holy See both in its capacity as the government of the Vatican City and as a non-territorial legal subject. Hence, the application of the crc is not confined within the limited territory of the Vatican City, but 'follows' the authority of the Holy See irrespective of state borders. Thirdly, it is argued that the vertical, hierarchical structure of the Holy See is homologous to that of the modern state and, therefore, attribution rules can be applied by analogy in this case. The final conclusion is that it is possible to hold the Holy See responsible under the CRC for acts of child abuse that occurred under its authority around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, the author focuses on the definition of the Holy See, given its status as a specific subject of international law, which is often mistakenly equated with the Vatican City State. Consequently, the fundamental features of the Holy See's diplomacy and foreign policy are described. The author puts special emphasis on the usage of soft power in its foreign policy. The attention is also devoted to the analysis of selected diplomatic actions and engagement of the Holy See in international relations, in particular, through the action of former popes: the intervention of John XXIII during the Cuban missile crisis and the initiative of John Paul II and Benedict XVI in the Holy Land and in Cuba, respectively. Furthermore, the character and role of apostolic nuncio in his diplomatic service is clarified. Finally, the specific approach of the Holy See to conclude international treaties is illustrated by the example of the conclusion of such an agreement with the Slovak Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the relationship between the Holy See and the Second Spanish Republic during the first year of the Spanish Civil War - 1936. By exploring sources from the Secret Vatican Archives, a more complete understanding of this tenuous diplomatic relationship can be established. The Holy See remained neutral during the conflict, but Republicans and Nationalists wanted to gain Vatican recognition to garner greater international support. The problem for the Republic was, however, that its unofficial militias lashed out against symbols of conservatism, especially members of the Catholic Church. The Republic was angered that some Spanish Catholic clergymen had become outspoken supporters for the Nationalist rebellion against the government. The more radical actions of some followers helped to exacerbate the environment of confusion between the two states. This article works to highlight locations where this confusion prevented the two states from understanding each other's opinions and actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]