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This article reconstructs the politics behind the four papal elections that took place between 1590 and 1592, an apparently unusual period during which the papacy seems to have been undergoing an electoral crisis. It argues, however, that the impulse to select weak and short-lived candidates was in fact a rational response to the unusually fraught political situation in Europe as the only way to balance the competing needs of continuity in Rome and stability in the wider Catholic Church. The cardinals' readiness to adopt this approach suggests that their selection of popes was more sophisticated than has sometimes been credited and that they recognized that strong government was not always a desirable end in the complex world of Roman politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the works of historian Claude Vanel, with specific reference to his works on Hungarian history. Topics discussed include the history of Great Britain and Spain in the last decades of the 17th century; the story of the papal conclave during the period; and the events of the anti-Turkic warfare highlighted in his work including the history of the Turks.

This paper investigates a motif present throughout the Middle Ages in a broad variety of texts: the refusal to ascend to the papal throne after election. Gregory the Great dealt with this issue on a theoretical level in his Regula pastoralis: driven by humilitas, the Pope elect should shrink from taking on the office assigned to him, but should not insist excessively in his refusal. Despite the Biblical motivations claimed by Gregory and others, this motif is already documented in the pre-Christian era, for example in the philosophical tradition (Plato, Cicero) and among the Roman emperors starting from Tiberius. From the 8th century onwards it was no longer a literary topos, but a ritual practiced with evident regularity: the Pope elect attempted to avoid his coronation by hiding, but was soon tracked down and taken „by force“ to the Lateran Palace in solemn procession. Popes often also argued that they had not desired to be elected, especially when attempting to demonstrate that they had not arrived at the Papal throne legitimately but, for example, through simony. Gregory VII is a striking example: he presented his entire career as an imposition from the outside. In the early and late Middle Ages this ritual was definitively institutionalized; the highly formalized announcements of the Pope’s election always stressed the new Pope’s initial refusal to accept; indeed, the very blessings imparted during ordinations expressly mentioned the imposition to which he had been subjected. Benedict XVI is currently the last Pope to have ascended to the Papal throne „against his wishes“. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article assesses the evidence contained in the Collectio Avellana (CA), a collection of 244 documents dating from AD 367 to 553, on the Roman senate, both on the institution and on individual senators. Topics discussed include view of scholars on the presence of the dossiers on the controversial papal elections, role of the emperor in papal elections, and background on the Damasus dossier. It also addresses the dispute between Bonifatius and Eulalius.

Copyright of Banatica is the property of Museum of Highland Banat 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.)

Closed-door decisions may be defined as decisions in which the outcome is determined by a limited number of decision-makers and where the process is shrouded in at least some secrecy. In this paper, we examine the use of betting markets to forecast one particular closed-door decision: the election of the pope. Within the context of 500 years of papal election betting, we employ a unique dataset of betting on the 2013 papal election to investigate how new public information is incorporated into the betting odds. Our results suggest that the market was generally unable to incorporate effectively such information. We venture some possible explanations for our findings and offer suggestions for further research into the prediction and predictability of other 'closed-door' decisions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few elections attract so much attention as the Papal Conclave that elects the religious leader of over a billion Catholics worldwide. The Conclave is an interesting case of qualified majority voting with many participants and no formal voting blocks. Each cardinal is a well-known public figure with publicly available personal data and well-known positions on public matters. This provides excellent grounds for a study of spatial voting: In this brief note we study voting in the Papal Conclave after the resignation of Benedict XVI. We describe the method of the election and based on a simple estimation of certain factors that seem to influence the electors' preferences we calculate the power of each cardinal in the conclave as the Shapley-Shubik index of the corresponding voting game over a convex geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papal impact on peripheral areas in the Middle Ages depended on the means of and possibilities for communication. This case study of the Livonian crusade and mission in the first half of the thirteenth century demonstrates the difficulties of implementing a central leadership in an area that lacked established communication patterns with the papal curia. Traveling was expensive and depended completely on the seasonal rhythm of navigation. To receive a papal letter presupposed personal attendance at the curia; in addition, the papal legates in the Baltic did not establish a regular system for exchange of information. Another important reason leading to this situation was the absence of personal networks that could connect Rome and the Baltic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discute las posibles posiciones políticas del papa Francisco como jefe de la Iglesia católica, con énfasis en referencias sobre sus actuaciones como líder jesuita durante la dictadura militar de Argentina de 1976 a 1983. Los temas discutidos incluyen motivos de la elección de un Papa latinoamericano, antigua posición del Papa con respecto a la Teología de la Liberación y el conservadurismo doctrinal de la Iglesia.

The article features Jorge Maria Bergoglio, Pope Francis I. The author describes Pope Francis as a global pontiff. Pope Francis' choice of name from St. Francis of Assisi serves as a symbol of focusing on the poor. It notes that the Pope's preference to focus on the poor stems from his day-to-day experience as an Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The author states that Pope Francis I, the first Jesuit pope, was chosen as a reformer of the Curia, scandal-solver and director of a true globalisation of the Vatican. Information regarding the March 12-13, 2013 conclave is offered.

The article offers the author's insights on facing the world with Pope Francis. Topics discussed include the crisis in papal election, the structural reforms, and the Liberal Catholics. Also mentioned are the poverty and the Pope's closeness to the poor, the issue of the Latin American bishops, and the human rights law and regulations.

This article discusses the nomination and introduction of Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as head of the Catholic Church in 2013. The author presents a series of speeches delivered by Pope Francis on the occasion of his inauguration as well as in the days following. He provides information regarding Francis' papal seal, his official motto, and his relationship with retired Pope Benedict XVI. Articles written by then-bishop Bergoglio are reprinted and several photographs of the introduction of Pope Francis are also presented.

This article discusses the election of the first Latin American as pope of the Catholic Church, Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis. The author comments on Francis' hopes for the universality of the Church and describes the history of the papacy from the 12th century. He also reflects on the previous pope, Benedict XVI, and his resignation in early 2013. A comparative analysis is made between the focuses of the last three popes: John Paul II's emphasis on hope, Benedict XVI's emphasis on faith, and Francis' emphasis on charity.

For 700 years a tale has been told about an English woman who was elected pope in the mid-ninth century. Called Pope Joan, she supposedly was born in Mainz of English parents. Dressed as a man, she traveled to Athens with a lover, acquired an education, moved to Rome, impressed the cardinals (who did not know she was a woman), and was unanimously elected pope. While crossing the city in a procession she unexpectedly gave birth near the church of San Clemente, died on the spot, and was buried there. Joan's story cannot be traced back to the ninth century. It arose in the thirteenth century and was universally believed until the sixteenth century. In succeeding historical periods the figure of Joan proved useful to many writers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early in the fifth century, Innocent I, bishop of rome, wrote to three bishops in Apulia about the desire of a cleric to become a bishop. Innocent stated that since Modestus had performed penance he ought not to have been ordained a presbyter, let alone be considered for the episcopate. Innocent instructed these bishops to remove Modestus from office if his past was confirmed, avoiding the usual consideration of such matters at provincial episcopal synods. This paper argues that Innocent acted as metropolitan, where it was understood implicitly that failure to comply with Innocent's directives would result in repercussions for the three bishops. Innocent acted differently with bishops within his metropolitan jurisdiction than with bishops further afield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article surveys the media coverage of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the subsequent conclave, and the election and accession to the papacy of Pope Francis I in February and March 2013. Topics discussed include the evaluation of Benedict's papacy and his theology, news coverage of the conclave's votes, and journalists' initial assessments of the new pope.

Abstract The secret politicking of the papal conclaves has fascinated scholars since Ranke first gained access to the Vatican's Secret Archives. But few scholars have seriously studied what occurred outside the conclave. Early modern papal elections attracted a great deal of attention from both commoners and elites, which beget speculation about its proceedings, rumors, and even disorder. Everyone in Rome had their own agenda for wanting to know more about the conclave: brokers needed to be informed when accepting wagers on the election; French and Spanish ambassadors wanted information on the direction of the election; and crowds eagerly anticipated pillaging the pope-elect's cell and palace. Writers of newssheets kept this attentive audience fed with information, but their activities also contributed to the circulation of rumors during the conclave. The conclave thus created a unique but ephemeral public sphere, one that was very different from Habermas's classic bourgeois model. The public only dimly learned the secrets of the conclave. Misunderstanding and disorder reigned supreme. Nevertheless, the papal election opened a privileged time in Rome in which the public expressed its opinion about high politics, an activity normally forbidden to it by living popes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the various ways in which the election of Karol Józef Wojtyla, better known as Blessed Pope John Paul II, shocked members of the Catholic Church and especially Europeans. The surprise registered in historical, diplomatic and religious ways, as John Paul II was the first non-Italian elected as Pope in centuries and came from Poland, a communist country. The political, social and religious aspects of this surprising election are briefly analyzed, and the article credits John Paul II's intense faith with his success despite the shock his election caused.

The article offers information on the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church in Vatican and its implication to the global Church. It discusses the internationalisation of the Vatican in response to the notion that Catholicism was a European Organisation. It presents the evaluation on the Church administration in Vatican including the Papal governance, recruitment and staffing, staff replacement, Papal diplomats, and Papal elections.

Copyright of Espacio, Tiempo y Forma. Serie IV, Historia Moderna is the property of Editorial UNED 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.)

The article discusses the symbolic aspects of funerals of popes, particularly the procession and translation of the body from the Pope's residence to the Sistine Chapel and on to Saint Peter's Cathedral in Rome, Italy. The author provides details on the development of these practices from the medieval papacy in Avignon, France, in the 14th century to the late 19th century. She also discusses the relationship between the organization and timing of the funerals and the conclave to elect a new pope.

The Great Western Schism divided Latin Christendom along national lines, but it began in 1378 not as a conflict between two national factions of cardinals in the conclave, but in two successive elections by the same college of cardinals, none dissenting. Each of the two new popes had the same usual claim to canonical legitimacy, but since each election was flawed in its circumstances and procedure, each pope could and did condemn and excommunicate his rival. Investigating the activities of the two lending bureaucrats of the Roman Curia, the archbishops who headed its two most powerful ministries, the Chancery and Camera, this paper explores an alternative interpretation of the two elections. According to this narrative, there were two extraordinary interventions in the succession to Pope Gregory XI: the disorderly papal election of 9 April 1378 was captured by one papal minister, the deputy director of the papal Chancery, Bartolomeo Prignano, archbishop of Bari; the second election, of 20 September, which began the Great Western Schism, was a counter-coup managed by the minister in charge of the Camera Apostolica, the chamberlain Pierre de Cros, archbishop of Arles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the views of English theologian John Wyclif on papal election, correction and deposition. It is suggested by the author that the reason for examining Wyclif's views on such issues is that they all speak to those criteria which are essential for constituting a genuine pope as opposed to a mere pretender to the throne. The views of Wyclif as depicted in his works, including the 1384 "De potestate papae," are also analyzed.

This article focuses on the reactions of the communist authorities to the election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope and the prospect of a papal trip to Poland. The author begins by outlining the nature of the relationship between the State and the Church in the 1970s. Next he shows the atmosphere of shock that prevailed at the Polish Central Committee after the news of the new Pope's election came from Rome. The last part of article is devoted to the meetings between the Polish First Secretary Edward Gierek, Leonid Brezhnev and Andrei Gromyko in Moscow in March 1979, during which the situation in Poland and the forthcoming visit of John Paul II were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines two unpublished letters from poet Gerard Manley Hopkins which have been rediscovered at the British Library. The letters are addressed to Charles Kent and are both from August 27, 1878 concerning his role in assisting Kent in the preparation of a collection of fifty translations into different languahes of a poem to welcome the elected Pope Leo XIII.

Presents a historical perspective on rigid secrecy in papal elections. Overview of papal elections in the Lateran Basilica; Principles applied in papal elections; Effort of popes to prevent monarchs from influencing elections.