The Benedictine Network

Addendum to Source Document I:

The Papacy: Its Corporate Culture Identity

May they all be one.

Forward: Every institution has a character or mark by which all can recognize it as it is. One can readily identify someone who works for IBM or for Levi Strauss or even Apple Computers. In the sector of institutionalized religion the same general principle holds true. This corporate identity does not make the institution "right" or "wrong." It simply identifies the institution as THAT institution rather than THIS institution. The Church of Rome is an institution. As an institution it has grown and nurtured a particular identity. Often the current identity of an institution has little to do with the founder as one might glean reading the writings of A.P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of America and the Bank of America today.

The information — and it is only this, information — was culled from: Peter De Rosa, Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy (London: Corgi Books, 1988). Peter De Rosa graduated from the Gregorian University, Rome. He was Professor of Metaphysics and Ethics at Westminster Seminary and is the former Dean of Theology at Corpus Christi College, London. One might also refer to Garry Wills' Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit (Doubleday, 2000 ISBN 0-385-49410-6) to find further background information about papal activities and the corporate culture of the Church of Rome. Some have noted that one mark of the Church of Rome's cultural identity is to cover-up its own failings under the guise that revelation of errors will produce scandal among the Faithful. Such a belief system allows the hierarchy and clerics to carry on as usual without having to take personal responsibility for the integrity of their actions in light of the message of the founder. As history relates, in time such errant belief systems come back to haunt and some things either change or destroy the institution or the institution may put on the appropriate public face of guilt and repentance and then after a while return to its original course of action.

It is acknowledged in the human sector that most, if not all, human communities tend to become institutionalized to some extent, some more than others. To maintain clarity and integrity with the founder's plan, the subsequent people must keep the founder's mission statement forefront in the operations manuals and ever developing marketing and business plans. Over time, the founder's initial vision becomes clouded in subsequent generations. The early church, in favor of its own conceived mission, lost very quickly the mission statement of Christ that we might extrapolate as follows:

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
(Matt. 22:37-39)

Writing with the clarity of 20/20 vision of hindsight, for consciously developing a corporate identity and strategy, the early Church might have simply focused on Paul:

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love's forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure. Love never fails.
(1 Cor. 13:4-8)

(An Awakening Church: A Catholic Papacy offers such a possibility: a papacy stemming from presence rather than belief.)

With these thoughts in an open mind and heart, let us now make a brief psycho-historical, sociopolitical excursion through papal history. (For further information please refer to New Advent: A Catholic Web Site List of Popes. Please note that our list below shows 263 Popes and the referenced site shows 265. We count Benedict IX once, the list counts him twice.


Index: Popes

001.
Peter
004.
Clement I
88-97
036.
Liberius
352-66
037.
Damascus I
366-383
040.
Innocent I
401-417
049.
Gelasius I
492-496
059.
Vigilius I
537-555
064.
Gregory I
590-604
070.
Honorius I
625-638
093.
Stephen II
752
096.
Adrian I
772-795
097.
Leo III
795-816
106.
Nicholas I
858-867
114.
Steven VII
896-897
120.
Sergius III
904-911
123.
John X
914-928
125.
Stephen VIII
928-93
126.
John XI
931-935
131.
John XII
955-963
133.
Benedict V
964
136.
Benedict VII
974-983
139.
Gregory V
996-999
146.
Benedict IX
1032-44;
'45; '47-8
148.
Gregory VI
1045-1046
149.
Clement II
1046-1047
154.
Nicholas II
1058-1061
155.
Alexander II
1061-1073
156.
Gregory VII
1073-1085
157.
Victor III
1086-1087
158.
Urban II
1088-1099
159.
Paschall II
1099-1118
161.
Callistis II
1119-1124
169.
Alexander III
1159-1181
170.
Lucius III
1181-1185
174.
Celestine III
1191-1198
175.
Innocent III
1198-1216
177.
Gregory IX
1227-1241
179.
Innocent IV
1243-1254
185.
Adrian V
1276
191.
Celestine V
1294
192.
Boniface VIII
1294-1303
193.
Benedict XI
1303-1304
194.
Clement V
1305-1314
195.
John XXII
1316-1334
197.
Clement VI
1342-1352
201.
Urban VI
1378-1389
202.
Boniface IX
1389-1404
209.
Pius II
1458-1464
211.
Sixtus IV
1471-1484
213.
Alexander VI
1492-82123
215.
Julius II
82123-1513
216.
Leo X
1513-1521
217.
Adrian VI
1522-1523
219.
Paul III
1534-1549
222.
Paul IV
1555-1559
224.
Pius V
1566-1572
225.
Gregory XIII
1572-1585
226.
Sixtus V
1585-1590
230.
Clement VIII
1592-1605
234.
Urban VIII
1623-1644
235.
Innocent X
1644-1655
239.
Innocent XI
1676-1689
242.
Clement XI
1700-1721
243.
Innocent XIII
1721-1724
246.
Benedict XIV
1740-1758
250.
Pius VII
1800-1823
251.
Leo XII
1823-1829
252.
Pius VIII
1829-1830
253.
Gregory XVI
1831-1846
254.
Pius IX
1846-1878
255.
Leo XIII
1878-1903
256.
Pius X
1903-1914
258.
Pius XI
1922-1939
259.
Pius XII
1939-1958
260.
John XXIII
1958-1963
261.
Paul VI
1963-1978
263.
John Paul II
1978-

(Index: Popes)


001. Peter

002. Linus 67-76

(Index: Popes)

004. Clement I 88-97

(Index: Popes)

036. Liberius 352-366

(Index: Popes)

037. Damascus I 366-383

(Index: Popes)

040. Innocent I 401-417

(Index: Popes)

049. Gelasius I 492-496

(Index: Popes)

059. Vigilius I 537-555

(Index: Popes)

064. Gregory I 590-604

(Index: Popes)

070. Honorius I 625-638

(Index: Popes)

093. Stephen II 752

(Index: Popes)

096. Adrian I 772-795

097. Leo III 795-816

(Index: Popes)

106. Nicholas I 858-867

(Index: Popes)

114. Steven VII 896-897

(Index: Popes)

120. Sergius III 904-911

(Index: Popes)

121. John X 914-929

(Index: Popes)

125. Stephen VIII 928-931

(Index: Popes)

126. John X 931-935

(Index: Popes)

131. John XII 955-963

(Index: Popes)

133. Benedict V 964

(Index: Popes)

136. Benedict VII 974-983

(Index: Popes)

139. Gregory V 996-999

(Index: Popes)

146. Benedict IX 1032-1044; 1045; 1047-1048

(Index: Popes)

148. Gregory VI 1045-1046

(Index: Popes)

149. Clement II 1046-1047

(Index: Popes)

154. Nicholas II 1058-1061

(Index: Popes)

155. Alexander II 1061-1073

(Index: Popes)

156. Gregory VII 1073-1085

(Index: Popes)

157. Victor III 1086-1087

(Index: Popes)

158. Urban II 1088-1099

(Index: Popes)

159. Paschall II 1099-1118

(Index: Popes)

161. Callistis II 1119-1124

(Index: Popes)

169. Alexander III 1159-1181

(Index: Popes)

170. Lucius III 1181-1185

(Index: Popes)

174. Celestine III 1191-1198

(Index: Popes)

175. Innocent III 1198-1216

(Index: Popes)

177. Gregory IX 1227-1241

(Index: Popes)

179. Innocent IV 1243-1254

(Index: Popes)

185. Adrian V 1276 11 July to 18 August 1276

(Index: Popes)

191. Celestine V 1294

(Index: Popes)

192. Boniface VIII 1294-1303

(Index: Popes)

193. Benedict XI 1303-1304

(Index: Popes)

194. Clement V 1305-1314

(Index: Popes)

195. John XXII 1316-1334

(Index: Popes)

197. Clement VI 1342-1352

(Index: Popes)

201. Urban VI 1378-1389

(Index: Popes)

202. Boniface IX 1389-1404

(Index: Popes)

209. Pius II 1458-1464

(Index: Popes)

211. Sixtus IV 1471-1484

(Index: Popes)

213. Alexander VI 1492-82123

(Index: Popes)

215. Julius II 82123-1513

(Index: Popes)

216. Leo X 1513-1521

(Index: Popes)

217. Adrian VI 1522-1523

(Index: Popes)

219. Paul III 1534-1549

(Index: Popes)

222. Paul IV 1555-1559

(Index: Popes)

224. Pius V 1566-1572

(Index: Popes)

225. Gregory XIII 1572-1585

(Index: Popes)

226. Sixtus V 1585-1590

(Index: Popes)

230. Clement VIII 1592-1605

(Index: Popes)

234. Urban VIII 1623-1644

(Index: Popes)

235. Innocent X 1644-1655

(Index: Popes)

239. Innocent XI 1676-1689

(Index: Popes)

242. Clement XI 1700-1721

(Index: Popes)

243. Innocent XIII 1721-1724

(Index: Popes)

246. Benedict XIV 1740-1758

(Index: Popes)

250. Pius VII 1800-1823

(Index: Popes)

251. Leo XII 1823-1829

(Index: Popes)

252. Pius VIII 1829-1830

(Index: Popes)

253. Gregory XVI 1831-1846

(Index: Popes)

254. Pius IX 1846-1878

(Index: Popes)

255. Leo XIII 1878-1903

(Index: Popes)

256. Pius X 1903-1914

(Index: Popes)

258. Pius XI 1922-1939

(Index: Popes)

259. Pius XII 1939-1958

(Index: Popes)

260. John XXIII 1958-1963

(Index: Popes)

261. Paul VI 1963-1978

(Index: Popes)

263. John Paul II 1978

(Index: Popes)

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