Salvation Of Souls Research Articles

The Representation of Women in Kamnodo of the Chosŏn Dynasty and Its Significance

In the Buddhist paintings known as Nectar Ritual Painting (Kamnodo 甘露圖), which depicts the ritual of food offering (sesik 施食) for hungry ghosts (agwi 餓鬼), there are various representations of women, including nuns and laywomen, engaged in different roles. Although Chosŏn society was built upon Neo-Confucian ideals that imposed restrictions on women's religious activities, Buddhism, which promote religious practice without gender discrimination, offered female practitioners a sense of equality, fulfillment in their vows, and liberation. Of the seventy known works of Kamnodo, around forty feature depictions of nuns, providing valuable historical evidence about Buddhist nuns and their representation. In addition, women in professional roles within Chosŏn society, such as court ladies (sanggung), female shaman and female entertainer (sadang), are depicted as central figures in Kamnodo. Importantly, these women often acted as patrons for the creation of such painting. The continued Buddhist sponsorship from female devotees contributed to the translation of sacred scriptures into Han'gŭl and fostered the development of narrative painting genres like Kamnodo, which were used as visual aids in Buddhist lectures. While Kamnodo is primarily a religious painting aimed at making intangible spiritual beliefs visible, it also serves as a historical record. Created for the salvation of souls, it reflects the ideals, desires, and, at times, the fears of the community, offering key insights into the social conditions of the time. By examining the meanings and transformations seen in Kamnodo, we can gain a deeper understanding of gender perception in Chosŏn Buddhist art.

Peran Tim Kontekstual Dalam Pelayanan Anak Suku Sunda: Upaya Memperkenalkan Isa Al-Masih Sebagai Satu-Satunya Jalan Keselamatan

This article discusses the changes experienced by Sundanese children during puberty and the important role of the gospel spirit companion in guiding them. Sundanese society has unique and interesting characteristics that must be observed in its spiritual growth and understanding of the concept of salvation. Although Sundanese society already has good morals and a high spirit of tolerance, to achieve soul salvation according to the concept of Christian salvation, faith in Jesus Christ is needed. Unfortunately, children are often neglected in evangelism, and the lack of service to them is a problem that must be overcome. Therefore, the "Child Reureuh" activity was held to provide an understanding of the teachings of the Bible and the concept of salvation to Sundanese children. The research method used was qualitative descriptive, and this activity was carried out at Wisma Karang Tumaritis, Parompong, West Bandung. Involving children in evangelism is expected to build a strong foundation of faith from an early age and have a positive impact on their lives. This article aims to explore the role of contextual teams in introducing the love of Jesus Christ to Sundanese children and its impact on their ministry, as well as provide a comprehensive overview of contextual approaches in religious and humanitarian contexts.

God the Father; Dao the Mother: Western and Chinese Dualisms

Abstract: This essay is composed of three parts, corresponding to three theses: (1) dualism is at once universal and particular (cultural); (2) the opposition between God the Father and Dao the Mother is the most apt rendering of the differences between Western and Chinese dualisms; (3) History may be understood as an ongoing patriarchal rationalization whose contours are determined by the particular "bent" of a given culture. By contrast with the temporal preconceptions of Western thought (Plato's Ideas and the Hebrew God are both "eternal"), China's spatial bias—and both "bents" are at least partly determined by the respective writing systems—led it to conceive the body/soul duality as soul in the body, and so to give religious priority to "body technology" (as opposed to the salvation of souls), to ritual (as opposed to discourse), and to the feminine. Because of Platonic negativity with regard to the body and the feminine, in contrast with male/female complementarity in Judaism, our attempt to understand Chinese culture in terms that are familiar to us must begin with Biblical, and not Platonic, categories—whence comes the necessity of comparing God the Father and Dao the Mother.

Спасение души через воспоминание о Боге на смертном одре в вероучении Международного общества сознания Кришны

The article touches upon the prescriptions of the followers of the International Society for Krishna Conscious-ness (the ISKCON) on the subject of atonement of sins on the deathbed through remembrance of God in order to avoid subsequent karmic retribution in further rebirths. The author analyzes the data on atonement of sins and the relationship between karma and reincarnation in the dogmatic literature of the ISKCON. Particular at-tention is paid to analyzing the work of the founding acharya of ISKCON, A.Ch. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prab-hupada’s “One More Chance”, based on the Srimad-Bhagavatam purana, as this is the work Srila Prabhupada dedicates to the remembrance of God before death and gives instructions for believers. To summarize the dogmatic tenets of the ISKCON on religious practices of soul salvation, the author draws a conclusion based on the analysis of literary sources.

Megkeresztelt gazdaság: a középkori angol céhek vallási aspektusai

This paper focuses on medieval English guilds, especially craft guilds. Christianity was the unquestionable spiritual force behind the results of the Middle Ages – and talking about these scientific, cultural, religious achievements one cannot omit the role of guilds. Besides their significant economic activities, their main goal was the salvation of souls and to avoid purgatory.

Mediacja jako metoda pokonania kryzysu w sądowej próbie pogodzenia stron w procesie kanonicznym

In the doctrine of procedural canon law, the mediation is most often called an attempt to reconcile the parties. The mediation surprise in its simplicity and, at the same time, is very astonishing in its effectiveness. That is a legal institiution that in its theoretical structure resembles mediation, in the canonical procedural law system it can be used as a settlement, compromise or arbitration court. It is called an attempt to reconcile the parties, reconciliation of the parties, agreement of the parties or atonement of the parties. It is always necessary to recall that the concern for the salvation of souls remains the highest goal of institutions, legal acts and laws, but the protection of unity in faith and in the discipline of marriage, which is the foundation and origin of the Christian family is also the goal. The legislator constantly encourages the judge to try to reconcile the parties - mediation in many types of canonical trials: in contentious trials, in oral trials, in cases to declare nullity of marriage and in cases of separation of spouses. In each of these, the point is to refrain from going to court, which,- althought is the most perfect method of seeking justice among believers - is the last method and must be treated as such. Therefore the dominance over the legal action is taken over by all kinds of pastoral means used to reconcile the parties, because this reconciliation, in their practical form, bears all the hallmarks of the mediation. Key words: mediation, reconcile the parties, canonical trial, marriage processes, marriage law, procedural canon law

Power, Privilege And Sex Education in Irish Schools, 1922-67: An Overview

An overview of the thinking that led us to write our most recent book, Piety and Privilege. Catholic Secondary Schooling in Ireland and the Theocratic State, 1922-67, constitutes the substance of this paper. Our central argument is that during the period 1922-1967, the Church, unhindered by the State, promoted within secondary schools, practices aimed at “the salvation of souls” and at the reproduction of a loyal middle class and clerics. The State supported that arrangement with the Church also acting on its behalf in aiming to produce a literate and numerate citizenry, in pursuing nation building, and in ensuring the preparation of an adequate number of secondary school graduates to address the needs of the public service and the professions. This situation proved attractive to successive governments, partly because the great majority of the nation’s politicians and public servants were themselves loyal middle-class Catholics. In addition, the teaching religious played a crucial role in the State’s project of harnessing schools as part of its Gaelic nation-building project. This paper considers what we deem to be three distinctive aspects of our work. First, we detail how it is a contribution not just to the history of education in Ireland but also to the broader field of the history of Catholic Church and State relations in education in the English-speaking world for the period examined. Secondly, we deliberate on the research approach we adopted in generating our exposition. Thirdly, we outline our consideration of three aspects of the process of education in Catholic schools that have been neglected in many accounts to date, namely, the manner in which privilege, piety, and sex education were approached. Keywords: Ireland, secondary schooling. piety, privilege, sex education

Les Eglises à Libreville face aux défis urbains

This contribution is an interpellation to the churches in the City of Libreville to take concrete action in response to acute present urban problems that face the city. Currently, the Church pays little or no attention to urban issues that affect the City of Libreville. Many evangelicals in Libreville perceive giving attention to these urban challenges such as pollution, absence of waste management, heat waves, etc to be a distraction to the core business of ministry which is the salvation of souls. Against this backfrop, this contribution argue that this attitute amount to neglecting God’s mandate to be stewards of creation. These problems pose serious challenges to the City of Libreville including churches and they therefore deserve theological/missiological attention. The Church should participate towards identification of root-causes for these urban challenges and in the process open the Church to flourish in socio-political, socioeconomic and socio-cultural spaces as she works towards solving these issues.

Карл Пингера «В смерти он растоптал смерть!» Умирание, траур и пасхальная вера в восточноправославной традиции

Rituals are omnipresent. Religions provide answers to death. They interpret death as a transition to another form of existence and form different cultures of the dying person, marking daily transitions as well as turning points such as births, weddings, illness and death. Accompanying the dying person is common to all cultures. At the same time, when creating conditions for a humane and dignified death, it is necessary to take into account the existing cultural and religious-ideological differences between various Christian traditions, consisting in what this accompaniment looks like, what the rituals are before and after the death and how quickly the dead are buried. The translation of the paper raises the overarching issues of dying, death, and mourning in religious studies and attempts to comprehend the existing forms of the final phase of life in various religious beliefs in order to humanize the rituals of death, dying, and mourning, and in particular Easter beliefs and mourning ceremonies in the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, in which a central place in prayers or liturgical commemoration of the dead is given to requests for forgiveness of sins and salvation of souls of the dead.

The Albanian Orthodox Church: A Political History, 1878–1945 by Ardit Bido

Reviewed by: The Albanian Orthodox Church: A Political History, 1878–1945 by Ardit Bido Ines Angeli Murzaku Ardit Bido. The Albanian Orthodox Church: A Political History, 1878–1945. Routledge Religion, Society and Government in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet States. London: Routledge, 2020. 256 pp. In a recent paper presented at the conference “World Orthodoxy: Primacy and Conciliarity in the Light of Orthodox Teaching” (September 16, 2021), organized by the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Bačka, Irinej, explored autocephaly in the Orthodox Church. According to Irinej, autocephaly has become “a wall of temptation and a stumbling block” to strengthening the Orthodox faith and Orthodox Church unity. The bishop explained autocephaly from concept to execution, and the pitfalls of weaponizing and politicizing the granting of autocephaly, which, according to him, do not serve the soteriological goal of salvation of souls. For Irinej, the local bishops and the local episcopal council have the primacy of electing a primate for their local church with no vetting from a higher authority (i.e., Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), with the condition that the decision be accepted by all sister Orthodox churches. All the other aspects of autocephaly are of secondary importance or are “mere details” that do not define the autocephalous status of an Orthodox church, according to Bishop Irinej. Bishop Irinej’s September 2021 paper demonstrated that the issue of autocephaly continues to haunt the life of the Orthodox Church; the issue is pertinent and imminent, and it requires a dispassionate scholarly analysis devoid of local politics and ecclesiastical manipulations. Such is the focus of the 2020 book The Albanian Orthodox Church: A Political History, 1878–1945, by Dr. Ardit Bido, general director of the Archives of Albania and lecturer at the Metropolitan University of Tirana, Albania. The book is part of the series Routledge Religion, Society and Government in East Europe and the Former Soviet States. If Bishop Irinej’s proposed solutions to the granting of autocephaly applied to the Albanian case, its course and recognition would have been straightforward. Instead, the local bishops and the Holy Synod voted for autocephaly twice, but the approval from the mother church of Constantinople took decades to arrive, leaving the Orthodox faithful of Albania disappointed and the church in disarray. Bido’s analysis stands faithful to the monograph’s title and offers a detailed and chronological analysis of events divided into six substantial chapters: the origins of the Albanian ecclesiastical cause (1878–1918), which led to the establishment of the Albanian Church (1918–21) on the heels of the reestablishment of the Albanian state (1920); the self-proclamation of autocephaly (1921–24), explaining the Greek and Ecumenical Patriarchate reactions to Albanian autocephaly, which were in direct response to Greece’s defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22); the struggle for the recognition of auto-cephaly (1924–28); the establishment of the Albanian Holy Synod and the Congress of Korça (1928–29); the official recognition of Albanian autocephaly by the mother church of Constantinople in 1937; and, finally, the coming of one of the most brutal communist regimes of Eastern Europe in 1945, which made Albania the first atheist nation in the world in 1967. The book explores sixty-seven years of Albanian history, focusing on ecclesiastical-political-societal history and Albanian Orthodoxy’s fifteen-year quest for recognition—a quest that involved a highly complex, unpredictable, and political situation between secular and ecclesiastical neighboring powers: on one side, the Albanian and the Greek states, and, on the other side, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Bido provides much-needed scholarly background and analysis that is accessible to the [End Page 147] Albanian and Balkan specialist and student, as well as to the amateur in Balkan ecclesiastical matters. The book effectively explores the critical historical-political factors that caused the quest for autocephaly. Bido starts with an analysis of the League of Prizren (1878), an important resistance Albanian movement, which protested the transfer of Albanian-inhabited territory from the Ottoman Empire to Montenegro and represented an impetus of Albanian nationalism. He includes discussions of the politicization of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople under the Greek...

Сотериологические представления старообрядцев по материалам духовных стихов

Soteriological ideas of soul salvation dominate in the Old Believers’ worldview and spread through spiritual verses. The are several motifs with soteriological meaning depending on initial goals of salvation search: staying in a true (pre-schism) orthodoxy, manifestation of spiritual resilience as well as resistance to the “servants of Antichrist” and personalized government and church representatives, and desire to keep the soul in purity escaping human sins. To reach the goal they should live a righteous life in keeping with ethical values represented in spiritual verses (love, good, humility, meekness, patience, obedience, mercy, honor, honesty, diligence etc.) and follow the rules of the living by faith (attend a church, pray, fast, honor the Christian holidays). Among the main salvation`s conditions the Old Believers` texts cite maintaining the purity of the Old Belief and unity as a method to save oneself as well as the faith in the latter times, observance, and flight from the sinful world into the place of retreat. Thus, the salvation can be achieved by the way of life (how a person acts) as well as the way of thinking. The main didactic purpose of spiritual verses developing the theme of salvation is to remind of these verities.

Human Person in the Code of Canon Law of John Paul II

The Code of Canon Law, promulgated by John Paul II in 1983, is a synthesis of the earlier 1917 Code and the doctrine of the Second Vatican Council. The Code contains norms which go well beyond a reform of the inner legal relations within the Catholic Church. A lot of them deal with the value and dignity of the human person, which shows a clear impact of the pontificate of John Paul II, who put a lot of emphasis on the given issue. The article discusses the fields of legal regulations in the Code which touch upon the issue of the human person, esp. freedom of religion, protection of unborn life, social rights, legal standing of women and the education of future generations. It points out the main difference between civil law (which also serves the dignity of the human person) and canon law, namely, the latter aims at the salvation of souls.

Enhancing Christian Life: How Extended Cognition Augments Religious Community

Enhancing Christian Life: How Extended Cognition Augments Religious Community

НЕОИМПЕРСКИЙ ЛЕЙТМОТИВ В ИСТОРИЧЕСКИХ РОССИЙСКИХ ФИЛЬМАХ 2000–2010-х гг. И ФЕНОМЕН КИНЕМАТОГРАФИЧЕСКОЙ ПРАВОСЛАВНОЙ ПРОПОВЕДИ

During the last two decades, the topic of imperial consciousness and the ideological construction of a neo-imperial approach to contemporary Russian history within the narrative of post-Soviet “neo-imperialism” has been increasingly revived in Russian cinema. It has not much about developing the idea of Great Russia with a highest world mission. There are hardly more Slavophile motives here than Westernisers’ ones. The new historical movies shot mainly by the Russian state or Church request construct a parable about a great supranational historical empire, which unites all ethnic groups, peoples, and religions under the rule of the Russian Tsar / Emperor / Patriarch. For Soviet times, the Communist Party or its leader usually plays the role of the monarch, while the role of civil religion can be played by political ideology. The modern Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church disseminates the idea of imperialism as a basis of the Orthodox media cinematographic preaching. This type of preaching, along with Christian preaching on the Internet, social networks, and video games, has become increasingly used by Orthodox clergymen and church organisations. Here Russian Orthodox Church follows the Roman Catholics and Protestants, who currently use media sermon as an important part of their homiletics. From priests to clergy of the highest rank, such as Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) of Volokolamsk or Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Pskov and Porkhovsk, more and more men of cloth begin to attract audience by their performance in offline and online video blogs, by online streams of their sermons in the digital space and finally, by shooting films, both documentaries and feature films. The main components of the neo-imperial narrative in the modern ideologised cinematographic preaching are the following: 1) constructing the parable of the great supranational historical empire (pre-Mongol Rus, Horde, Russian Principality, Russian Tsardom, Russian Empire, finally, the Soviet Union); 2) emphasising the great role of political leader, prince / tsar / emperor / general secretary / president; 3) resorting to preposterous synthesis of incompatible ideals of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union; 4) spreading anti-historicism, anachronism, including linguistic, substituting historical fantasy for the history of the Russian Orthodox Church; 5) elevating the current national ideology to the status of national archetype, with searching and successful finding of “eternal” geopolitical enemies and friends of Russia; 6) re-considering Orthodoxy as a glamour “export product” for the West. The Cinematographic Orthodoxy depicted in imperial propaganda films has little in common with the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and the ideal of Orthodox Christian morality. Under the pen of scriptwriters and film directors who create their mass products by the order of the current Russian state or Patriarchate, Orthodox Christianity becomes a social and media construct that must exists solely for the blessing and support of the state power, as well as for the entertainment of the mass audience. Therefore, we must stress that such a preaching does not achieve its goals, as it does not preach Jesus Christ’s teaching, spirituality and a way for soul salvation and improvement.

On doing what is just, right and fair

‘Just’, ‘right’ and ‘fair’ are complex concepts without singular definitions. This article investigated these concepts from the perspective of Roman Catholic canon law. The historical and theological contexts of the Roman Catholic Church (the Church) are set within these concepts, which should be understood. Within this context, the notion of ‘justice’ in the Church is described in four different steps. The first step is a description of the difficult concept of truth and the role of divine law within it. Then, the norm of law is discussed, including the space left for notions such as equity and the salvation of souls. Furthermore, exceptions to the law will be examined, with special attention to both privilege and dispensation. Finally, the custom contra legem will be described as a last possibility for doing justice in the event of unjust laws. Notions like ‘just’, ‘right’ and ‘fair’ are of utmost importance. Yet at the same time, absolute certainty on the content of the three important notions quoted in the title cannot be achieved – historical context, personal life and unexpected circumstances. They all play a role in offering the right definition. There is no clear definition of what is ‘just’, ‘right’ or ‘fair’, neither from a ‘moral theological’ or ‘ethical’ point of view, nor from ‘the perspective of the Law’. That is perhaps the correct starting point. People should not be alarmed when good intentions regarding justice lead to different outcomes.

Fundamental Rights—Comparison of the Approaches in the Canon Law and in the Civil Law

The Code of Canon Law of 1983 came up with a list of obligations and duties of the Catholic faithful. This list is analogical to those of the charters of fundamental rights and freedoms found in the documents of international law and in the constitutions of democratic countries. the inspiration of church law by civilian law was a reality from the very beginnings of the development of Canon Law: first by Roman Law, in the modern world by complex codifications of civil law, and after Vatican II also the idea of universal human rights. The specifics of the Catholic Church in relation to a democratic state is the incorporation of the subject of law into the Church through baptism which brings, above all, duties and obligations. Thus the catalogue which may now be seen in the Code contains first and foremost a list of duties, not rights, which are not stressed in the modern state. In fact, the modern state has very few demands; often just the payment of taxes and compulsory school attendance. The article deals with the individual obligations and rights found in the Code of Canon Law and compares them with their analogies in constitutions. The concept of civil and canonical norms tends to get closer primarily in the case of inspiration by natural law, whereas the obligations of the faithful represent a specifically ecclesiastical goals, for which no analogy in civil law can be found. After all, the supreme law of the Church is the salvation of souls, indeed, the state does not have such a supernatural goal.

An Introduction to Catholic Economics: General Welfare, Competing Perspectives, and Human Nature

Catholic economics is the interdisciplinary pursuit of joining Church teaching with economic science. The Church and its leaders, the Pope and Bishops, are primarily concerned with the salvation of souls and their general welfare, or the common good, and as such govern and guide the faithful to that end. Catholic scholars seeking to apply those teachings are free to and do debate the merits of particular policies or institutions. Catholic economists also question particular economic theories that contrast with Church teaching, especially with regard to human nature. This article examines these core elements of the Catholic Economics school of thought. JEL Classifications: A12, I31, Z12

Narsisisme Para Imam dalam Perayaan Ekaristi Suci

The Holy Eucharist is the Great Mystery of Salvation. In the celebration of the Eucharist, God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit redeemed mankind. John Paul II calls the Eucharist a celebration of redemption because Jesus Christ, the High Priest, was present in a real and sacramental manner in the form of bread and wine which was changed into His Body and Blood. Jesus Christ is also present in the priests as in persona Christi. The Eucharist is a celebration of salvation because Jesus Christ sacrificed and became a spiritual meal for His people, the Church. In short, the Eucharist is the work of God Himself who calls His people to live and unite with Him. God is the main actor, owner and master of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Priests are alter Christiwho are chosen and ordained to serve the Eucharist. Priests act in the name of Christ not on themselves. They represent, work together and unite with Christ, the Author and the main Subject of the Eucharistic sacrifice, offering authentic sacrifices namely Christ Himself for the salvation of souls. So the priests were not justified in making the Holy Eucharist a narcissistic stage. They may not carry out self-assertive actions and try to attract the attention of the faithful to themselves.

The Spiritual Fatherhood of the Priest in Patristic and Medieval Pauline Commentaries

The Spiritual Fatherhood of the Priest in Patristic and Medieval Pauline Commentaries Fr. Martin Mayerhofer (bio) Spiritual leaders should behave like fathers (patres). Yet few of them are true fathers of the Church to their children. Many of those who should be spiritually nourished by them are instead corrupted by the sins of these educators (pedagogoi). Every father would like to increase the inheritance of his son, even when it is to his own detriment. Our leaders, on the other hand, nourish only themselves. To the children of the Church entrusted to them they give only empty rhetoric and destroy their eternal heritage by their bad example.1 Indeed, the manifest sin of the priest gives the greatest offense.2 No, this criticism of church leaders does not date from 2019 and is not an expression of frustration at the shameful acts of sexual abuse by clerics. Its author is Hugo of Saint-Cher (+1263) and the quote comes from his commentary on First Corinthians. In his interpretation of Paul, Hugo does not mince his words and especially in his commentary on the epistle to the Ephesians he takes up a harsh criticism of the clergy of his time: how can it be, he asks, that clerics buy their office, monks recruit substitutes for prayer, and preachers care [End Page 105] more about money than about the salvation of souls? Not to mention the moral abuses. But we find a criticism like that of Hugo's in every epoch of church history: decadence and reform efforts, abuse and holiness, worldliness and worldly detachment are not unique phenomena of the twentieth or twenty-first centuries. They are as old as the Church itself and in a certain sense a consequence of its basic structure, which nobody describes more clearly and beautifully than the apostle Paul in Ephesians: Christ is the head, the faithful his body. Both are inseparably connected and form the one church (Eph 5:22–33). In this metaphor Christ is the head and so the church is always holy; the members of the body, on the other hand, are sinful people and so the Church is always in need of reform. Tradition has condensed this truth into a simple phrase: Ecclesia sancta et semper reformanda. Spiritual Fatherhood In the face of the cases of abuse by clerics in the Catholic Church, many have asked and still ask themselves the question: How can a true renewal of the clergy come about? The answers are manifold and it is not possible to respond to them here. I would rather like to draw your attention to the Second Vatican Council. How did the council try to renew the Church? Put simply, the answer might be: The council wanted to bring about renewal by reflecting on the nature of the Church, on her origin in the witness of Sacred Scripture and on her development in the testimony of Tradition. This methodological approach would also seem suitable for a renewal of the priesthood and will be explored in this article. A reflection on the nature of the priesthood cannot be limited to its official functions, which are often summarized according to the categories of teaching, sanctification, and leadership. These functions are based on the sacramental grace of ordination that bestows on the priest the power to carry out his duties. This ontological character makes the priest act in persona Christi capitis. This ontological transformation, supported [End Page 106] by a proper formation, should go hand in hand with a semiontological transformation that transforms the priest into a spiritual father. Spiritual fatherhood, the care for spiritual children, the nurturing of their earthly and eternal life changes one's view of oneself and the world. In this way of living, the actions of the priest also take on warmth, beauty, and effectiveness. I would therefore dare say that spiritual fatherhood is part of the nature of the priesthood. What would a priest be who is not a spiritual father? An official, a sacramental service-provider, a religious orator? And, especially in the light of the shameful cases of sexual abuse by priests, it is undeniable that a true spiritual father would never have been...

Lateran V and the Reform of the Roman Curia

Lateran V and the Reform of the Roman Curia Nelson H. Minnich The bull convoking the Lateran Council set as one of its principal goals the reformation of the morals of both ecclesiastics and secular persons who by law and custom are subject to reform by a council. In his speech read at the opening session, Julius called for leading depraved morals back to a more honest state. This reform would be one in head and members and begin with the Roman Curia.1 Popes of the previous century had studied various proposals for a reform of the Roman Curia, even drawing up bulls to regulate it, but they never promulgated them.2 It was not until the Lateran Council that a comprehensive reform of the Curia was enacted. Scholars who have studied the conciliar reforms of the Curia by Julius II and Leo X have been dismissive of them. In the previous century, the great German historian of the Curia, Walther Hofmann, complained that Leo X's reforms dealt mostly with taxes, which for many offices he significantly raised, while claiming to moderate or limit them in comparison to their recent terrible outgrowth. Hubert Jedin repeated the claim, stating that while Pastoralis officii enforced a firm system of taxation, it 'also yielded to the demands of officials to such an extent that the result proved a step backwards rather than forwards'. More recently the Italian scholar of the Renaissance papacy Marco Pellegrini stated: 'Attempts to reform the system under Leo X paradoxically led to [End Page 135] an increase in taxes, which was primarily dictated by pressures from 'officiales' to bring a quick return on their investments'.3 Julian Reform Commission To stave off criticism before the council opened, Julius II shaved off his beard and let it be known that he wanted all prelates to behave more honestly and the Church and the Roman Court to be reformed. He set up a commission to begin the reform of the Roman Curia. It consisted of eight cardinals: two cardinal bishops (Raffaello Riario, bishop of Ostia, dean of the Sacred College, and Camerarius; and Marco Vigerio OFM, bishop of Praenestina), four cardinal priests (Tamás Bakócz of the titular church of St. Martin in the Mountains; Leonardo della Rovere of the titular church of St. Susanna and Major Penitentiarius; Antonio del Monte of the titular church of St. Vitale; and Pietro Accolti of the titular church of St. Eusebius); and two cardinal deacons (Alessandro Farnese of the titular church of St. Eustachio; and Luigi d'Aragona of the titular church of St. Maria in Cosmedin). He added to the commission some prelates and two secretaries, namely Tommaso Inghirami and the unnamed secretary of the deceased Oliviero Carafa, possibly Jacopo Sadoleto). The commission apparently worked on its task for fourteen days.4 [End Page 136] On 30 March 1512 Julius II issued the bull Etsi Romanus Pontifex in which he rehearsed the complaints of the faithful regarding the excessive fees they are charged by many officials of the Roman Curia for their services. Without permission and with cunning these curialists have increased their fees. Led by avarice many officials have violated the rules setting the fees they may charge in justice and equity for their services. They abused the kindness and indulgence of previous popes and their own consciences and thereby incurred excommunication. This behavior has resulted in complaints, the endangerment of souls, and the scandal and bad example that injuries the reputation of the Roman Court. The pope out of his pastoral concern for protecting his flock, the salvation of souls, and the restoration of the good name of the Roman Curia has taken on the burden of trying to remove these intolerable abuses. He has therefore set up a commission of eight cardinals to discuss and examine the problem. After mature deliberation, the pope has decided (motu proprio) to renew the rules of his predecessors Nicholas V, Calixtus III, and Paul II that set the fees for curial services. Officials are to follow these rules and receive no additional recompense, not even if freely offered. Violations incur excommunication. On the first offense a fine of 100 ducats; on...