Pope John XXIII remarkably revitalized and reformed the Catholic tradition, however, his revitalization of the Catholic Church was more prominent and had a mammoth impact on the Christian tradition. He revitalized the Church, as he was a model for Christians and a model of discipleship. Also, through his works of social justice and peace as well as his ecumenical initiatives, Pope John XXIII revitalized the Christian tradition immensely.
Pope John revitalized the Christian tradition, as he was a model for Christians and a model of discipleship. John always made a point of meeting and fraternizing with non-Catholics, and, as he states, “anyone who does not call himself a Christian but who really is so because he does good.” This consequentially bridged the gap between different churches. He encouraged actions and behaviours amongst those that followed his example in a way that was true to Christian teachings. People were becoming more connected with the church because their leader was a real model of discipleship, embodying all that Jesus taught about. “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them” (Gen1: 27) truly portrays Pope John. This also highlights the belief in the Nature of God because God’s image was one of love and compassion, which is significantly depicted in Pope John. He encouraged people to live out gospel values just like Jesus, who is representative of God, through his radical approach, helping house and be a spiritual guide for Jews and other Christians (Orthodox) during WWII. Therefore, it is evident that Pope John was a model for Christians and a true model of discipleship through his actions. As a consequence his revitalization of the Catholic Church had a profound impact on Christianity.
Pope John XXIII also revitalized the church through his works of social justice and peace. The impact of his social justice and peace initiatives in Christianity is evident in the increased communications across people and nations after the release of the encyclical Pacem en Terris. This encyclical letter he issued elaborated Catholic teaching on the matter of peace in a sustained way. It also encouraged changed views towards the arms race, and specifically the excommunication of Castro had a large impact on the people of Cuba. As a predominantly Catholic country, the public rejection of Fidel Castro by the head of the Catholic Church made way for greater criticisms against Castro and his political antics. Pope John stood to prove Castro as guilty of not living out Christian values. A quote from his encyclical letter ‘Pacem in Terris’, “God created man in his own image and likeness” also portrays the nature of God and how Pope John demonstrated acts of social justice and peace in his actions like that of Jesus who was symbolic of God. He tried to reach out to people the best he could, for instance, he tried to be visible in Rome by visiting parishes, hospitals and schools. These works of social justice significantly link to the Christian belief in the nature of God and that Pope John who constantly displayed compassion as representative of God’s image. Also, he often visited the Regina Coeli prison in Rome simply stating to the prisoners: “Since yo`u cannot come to me, I will come to you.” Evidently, Pope John XXIII had a wondrous impact on Christianity and to a great extent revitalized the Christian tradition through his works of social justice and peace.
Pope John’s ecumenical initiatives to a great extent revitalized the Christian tradition. His Decree on Ecumenism highlighting his desire for unity within Christianity was
Pope John XXII, recently canonised as a saint, was a major reformer of the 20th century, and his efforts in leading the Church in to the modern era with radical ideas and contributions still have continuing influence today. Pope John XXII focused on uniting all, in which he sought not only to build ecumenical ties with Christian denominations, but also reached out to other religions through interfaith dialogue. For example, he invited Christian denominations such as Eastern Orthodox and Protestant…
ne of the things that genuinely shocked me after Pope John Paul II’s death, was the emergence of not just criticism for his decisions, but of out and out, open, explicit contempt for him, his “style”, his personality, his extroversion, etc. Since JP was the only Pope I’d ever known and I had identified with him, it really shook me up. Were all the expressions of respect and grief that attended his death just an elaborate show? But over the past few years, I found myself thinking, I’ll bet the…
really difficult to say. I chose Pope John Paul II as a prophet. We shall understand "prophet" a purely individual bearer of charisma, who by one's mission proclaims religious teaching or divine commandment. No radical distinction will be drawn between a "renewer of religion" who reveals a new meaning in an older revelation, actual or fictitious, and a "founder of religion" who brings completely new revelations. (Priest And Prophet, Max Weber). John Paul II had a special charisma. He respected…
Pope John Paul II once said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live”. King Lear, a tragic play of the hardships between parent and child, demonstrates that without family there is no love, no hope, and no purpose. Family can cause one to act good, bad and upright foolish; it is the primary familial teaching that affects one’s behaviour in society and whether or not it is liked, both bad and good are necessary. This good within family can be initially…
churches began to ask of the clergy what many priests had already spontaneously chosen. The early Church Fathers, Tertullian, Augustine, Ambrose, Jerome, and Hilary, wrote in favor of clerical celibacy, and at the end of the Dark Ages, great reforming popes like Leo IX and Gregory VII insisted that henceforth the priesthood would be celibate. This decision greatly strengthened the Church and still does so today. There's no hint in the New Testament of celibacy being mandatory either among the apostles…
Misogyny in Hip Hop In the past few years the hip hop music industry has stereotyped women and exploited their sexual roles to society in a pessimistic light. Specifically African-American rap music degrades women and revoke them of any positive image in society. Videos, lyrics and many other aspects of hip hop all downgrade and victimize women. A lot of rap songs are about gangs and violence but “Content analyses have found that approximately 22% to 37% of rap lyrics contain…
Should abortion be illegal in the US? Abortion has been one of the most controversial topics in America’s history. Some people believe it’s the mother's right of her body and her choice. Others say that a baby is human as soon as it is conceived. Killing a baby no matter what stage of its life is morally wrong. There are many reasons why it should be banned; it's very harmful for the mother's health psychically and mentally, the mother may become depressed, and the aftermath could end in death…
Anh-Tuan Thai ENGL 0300 Carraway FORGIVENESS By making comparison, we can figure out many things to compare with forgiveness as the beautiful things without seeing inside the human. The forgiveness is like drawing pictures in the water. The forgiveness is like a mother who kisses away the feeling tears of her child. Someone said that forgiveness is like they love some without liking. Someone else said that when we forgive we overlook as a favorite child's failings. Forgiveness is like when…
Captivity and Black Plague Western Schism Protestant Reformation (Renaissance) Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, King Henry VIII Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism St. Catherine of Sienna, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila Council of Trent Babylonian Captivity of the Church • “Babylonian Captivity”: Avignon Papacy- 1309-1377 (7 popes) • Philip IV of France arrested Boniface VIII and put in French Pope, Clement V. • French controlled the Papacy in Avignon, France • Papal abuses: extravagance…
Blessed John Paul II Karol Jozef Wojtyla, commonly known as John Paul II, was born in the Polish town of Wadowice on May18th, 1920 to happy parents Karol and Emilia. Although originally considering having an abortion during her pregnancy with Karol due to pre-determined birthing complications, Emilia declined the offer due to her devotion to the Catholic faith. Karol was the youngest of 3 children, his sister Olga died prior to his birth, but he was very close to his older brother, Edmund. Edmund…