The Papacy in the Modern World: A Political History
Frank J. Coppa
For some two millennia the papacy has presided over the governance of the Roman Catholic Church and played a fundamentally important role in European and world affairs. Its impact has long transcended the religious realm and has influenced ideological, philosophic, national, social and political developments as well as international relations. This book considers the broad role of the papacy from the end of the eighteenth century to the present and the reaction and response it has evoked over the years, and explores its confrontation with and accommodation to the modern world.
Frank J. Coppa describes the triumphs, controversies and failures of a series of popes from Pius VI to Benedict XVI, including Pius IX, who was criticized for his 'syllabus of Errors' of 1864, his campaign against Italian unification and his proclamation of papal infallibility. Pius XII, on the other hand, was denounced for what he did not say – mainly his silence during the Holocaust and his impartiality during the Second World War. Pope John XXIII, by contrast, has been praised for his aggiornamento, or call for the updating of the Church, and for convoking the Second Vatican Council. This original history sheds new light on the papacy by examining sources only recently made available by the Vatican archives, offering valuable insights into events previously shrouded in mystery.
Product Details
About Frank J. Coppa
Reviews for The Papacy in the Modern World: A Political History
Catholic Herald
The Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican City State and its Popes have played an enormously significant role in the development of European politics (and, latterly, that of the rest of the world too) . . . This is an exploration of two millennia of history tracing the origins of the Papacy and its impact on Italian politics it role through revolution, transformation, restoration and reform towards modernity.
Italia magazine
The very insightful and helpful work of Frank Coppa presents a summary of the political nature of the papacy, beginning with a traumatized Pius VI and taking us to the threshold of the current papacy of Pope Francis (r. 2013) who enjoys rock-star status. Here the author shows an insight gained from fruitful years of study by beginning with the papacy during the French Revolution, setting the papal history against the full play of the tumultuous nineteenth century . . . Coppa has identified the parameters of the fundamental issues that have concerned the modern papacy and does so appropriately and unbiasedly, presenting scholars of the papacy with an important resource on which to base their studies. For those seeking a well-researched and objective study of the general outlines of the modern papacy, this book comes highly recommended.
Journal of Church and State