Papacy

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The Papacy (also known as the Bishopric of Rome) is the office of the Pope. It was founded byJesus Christ, who appointed Saint Peter as the head of the Church and his twelve apostles, and thus, he is considered as the first Pope, with all Popes derive their authority from him. The Pope is considered the head of the Catholic Church in spiritual matters, issuing letters and papal bulls to mediate crises or theological arguments. However, in succeeding generations, the Papacy's temporal power and influence grew with the number of Catholics, where at the height of its power, a Pope can enthrone or depose a king. The Papacy during that time can also order military conquests, the most prevalent example of which are the Crusades. During the Renaissance, the Papacy ruled the state of Italy, with its capital in Rome. However, in the Protestant Reformation, the Papacy gradually gave up its temporal authority and focused on spiritual matters instead as part of the Counter-Reformation. Today, the Papacy controls the Vatican city-state in Rome. The Pope is no longer considered the head of state in Italy but is still recognized as a major player in world politics today.

History

The Pope, in early times, wa a mediator between the growing factions of the Church, deciding on temporal and spiritual disputes. Saint Peter took on this role with the help of the other apostles and Saint Paul, performing it for 35 years, the longest recorded papacy in history. With his martyrdom via inverted crucifixion on Vatican Hill, however, the then-persecuted Church needed a new leader, whom they elected among themselves. The leaders of the Church, during that time, took on the title of the Bishop of Rome. Several Popes had taken oath between Saint Peter's death and the Edict of Milan. They had to guide the people in proper doctrine and help the persecuted Christians hide and flee. However, with the coming of the Edict of Milan in 313, Christianity came out of the underground, become officially sanctioned and spread to the ends of the far-flung territories of the Roman Empire.

However, with the split into East and West, the Church decided to stay with the Western Roman Empire while the Eastern Roman Empire had their own Bishop. A council voted to give the Bishop of Constantinople the same privileges as the Bishop of Rome but the reigning pope rejected this since it would be unfair to the Partriarch of other cities considered as major centers of Christianity. This split gave an advantage, however, since the Pope was granted more room to exercise political power.

During this time, the Staff was passed from Pope to Pope, and was most likely used to ensure conversion, solidify authority and perform miracles using the power of the Pieces of Eden.

Middle Ages

After the sacking and fall of Rome, the Papacy did not lose authority, it even gained more due to the people's need of a leader and government. However, the Popes were under pressure from the Emperors of the East Empire. Pope Stephen II's decided to seek the help of the Lombard and Franks to rid the influence of the Eastern Emperor. This move finally made the Papacy fully autonomous, culminating in the requirement that all kings must have the Pope's approval, the precedent for this being Charlemagne, king of the Holy Roman Empire.

During this age, the Knights Templar recieved official sanctions under the Council of Troyes. Pope Innocent II granted the Templars diplomatic immunity and exemption from taxes. This encouraged people to join them, increasing their numbers, strength and financial resources quickly.

The Crusades

With the granting of autonomy, the succeeding Popes became more and more powerful. After Spain was conquered by the Muslims, Pope Alexander II granted papal indulgences to those killed in battle. Outpourings of religious piety were common due to the process of knighthood, leading to the growth of an army at the Church's disposal. With the loss of the Holy Land along with Asia Minor, Alexios I pleaded for support, making Pope Urban II Call for the First Crusade. Pope Gregory II stopped the Crusades for reservations about the sanctity of a holy war. Bernard of Clairvaux called for a Second Crusade but failed to win major victories. This led to a temporary peace until Saladin conquered Jerusalem, making Pope Gregory VIII call for the Third Crusade, the objective of which was to reclaim Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple. The Templars partook actively in this Crusade, the most likely reason for which was to gain the Apple hidden underneath Solomon's Temple. The Assassins sought to counter this move, setting the events for the rise of Altair and his hunt for the leaders of the Templars and the Crusades.

Eventually, in 1307, Pope Clement ordered the mass execution of the Templar Order, charging them with numerous offenses including apostasy, idolatry, heresy, financial corruption, fraud and other crimes, the confessions of which were obtained from torture and interrogation. He ordered the seizing of all Templar assets, turned them over to the Knights Hospitaller and disbanded the Order. The Templars are shown to have survived, however, with the trials most lkely intended to reduce the Order's numbers and to facilitate their retreat into the underground.

Renaissance

The Renaissance Popes, even after the failure of the Crusades, continued to enjoy power, and with the advent of the Renaissance, they have gained enough prestige and influence to be a part of world affairs once again. They sponsored lavish constructions and works of religious art through the patronage of artists like Michelangelo, Dante Alighieri andLeonardo da Vinci.

Calixtus III was elected Pope and was characteristic of the Popes of that time. He funded the artists of that time, but was involved in nepotism, appointing two nephews as cardinals, including Rodrigo Borgia, Grand Master of the Templar Order during the Renaissance. In 1471, Sixtus IV acceded to the position, continuing the work of all his predecessors, but also practiced nepotism, appointing four nephews, one of which is Giuliano della Rovere, later known as Pope Julius II. Sixtus is most known for his involvement and support of the Pazzi Conspiracy to assassinate Giuliano de' Medici andLorenzo de' Medici. On his death, Innocent III was elected, ruling only for 26 days before dying. At this juncture, two candidates presented themselves: Rodrigo Borgia and Giuliano della Rovere. The cardinals, who were alleged to have been bought by Rodrigo, nominated him to be pope, taking the name of Alexander II. Rodrigo gained access to the Staff of Eden, which was passed on to every Pope, learned of the location of theVault, which was underneath the Sistine Chapel and obtained the power and influence the office of the Papacy holds. He made several nepotistic appointments, including Cesare Borgia, his own son, making him a cardinal, though Cesare quit to continue the bloodline after his brother died and become the Captain-General of the Papal Armies.

Rodrigo and Cesare ordered the closure of many shops and let the condition of many landmarks deteriorate. They took choice spots of land and builtBorgia Towers to terrorize the populace and ensure thier control of Rome. Cesare also undertook several military conquests attributed to his father, the most important was the Siege of Monteriggioni, where Cesare took the Apple of Eden and invited Ezio Auditore to fight him in Rome. Cesare, using his father's influence, forced many artists to work in building them siegebreakers, most notably Leonardo da Vinci. However, after Rodrigo's death at his own son's hands, Giuliano della Rovere was elected to the Papacy, taking on the name Julius II. He ordered the arrest of Cesare, who was incarcerated at the Castel Sant'Angelo and later, the Castillo de la Mota in Spain. Julius sought to rid the Papacy of nepotistic appointments, simony and other crimes, executing those who were caught in such acts. The Papacy continued with Leo X a member of the House of Medici, who allowed the Church to deteriorate, culminating in the Protestant Reformation.

Modern Times

Even though the Papacy had slowly given up its temporal authority, It still holds tremendous influence over world leaders and policymaking. The Popes are now sponsoring the idea of ecumenism, to unite all Christian churches under one banner. The Popes still hold massive wealth in the form of art, used to fund charities and the expenses of the Church.

Powers

Aside from the authority over Roman Catholics, the Pope has other powers granted by his office. He is able to appoint bishops and cardinals. He also writes encyclicals and papal bulls to give instruction to the people. He also has tremendous influence over political decisions in the world, and often advocates causes to benefit the poor and the needy.

The Pope controls Vatican City as its head of state. He also commands the Swiss Guard, formerly known as the Papal guards, who are assigned to protect the Pope at all times. The Pope is also in control of the assets of the Church, however, he leaves the managemnt of this to the Roman Curia, the managing arm of the Church.

Trivia

• The Pope has traditionally been the target of conspiracy theories, including the rumored presence of a passage on the tiara that corresponds to the number 666, as well as a female pope who gave birth in a Papal procession.

• The Pope is also heavily featured in literature, like Dante's Divine Comedy and Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series in contemporary times.