Scholars: Other popes left indelible marks

* ST. PETER: "His very name is most intimately associated with the papacy, even if this man himself never heard the term. Whatever his personal limitations, he was, in fact, the leader of the early Church and the person whom every subsequent pope has taken (or should have taken) as his model."

-- Rev. James Wiseman, OSB, from the Department of Theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

* GREGORY VII (1073-1085): "Not always so effective politically, he was nevertheless able to achieve his spiritual goals, particularly the reform and the independence of the Church. He achieved a reform that strengthened the Church to the extent that it was not only able to get its own house in order but was also able to maintain itself against those secular rulers who tried to control the Church.

"Not all Gregory's achievements were positive, of course. The centralization of authority in the Church was set in motion, but that was needed at the time to accomplish the goals Gregory had. A pattern of reform was set as precedent; the spiritual was to outrank the political, but neither, in fact, was ever able to control the other. Without that, the Church would not have survived except in a disintegrated fashion."

-- Rev. James Dallen, professor of religious studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington

* INNOCENT III (1198-1216): "One of the reasons for choosing him is perhaps not the most popular, but I think it was a significant contribution (albeit today, most would conclude it was a 'negative' one): Under Innocent, the papacy achieved its highest level of interaction in political (or 'temporal') affairs. He determined, to a large extent, what emperors did or did not do.

"On a more positive note, he affirmed the new ministry of a brown-clad wandering preacher named Francis from Assisi. He also was involved somewhat in the emergence of the University of Paris as a scholarly institution.

"The modern 'cult of personality' surrounding the papacy, which has grown throughout this century, started with Innocent III centralizing spiritual and political power in the person possessing the papacy. Therefore, even though we're 800 years removed, Innocent III's papacy remains an influential factor in how people view the Vatican -- positively and negatively."

-- Dr. Jeffrey Marlett, assistant professor of religious studies at The College of Saint Rose in Albany

* LEO XIII (1878-1903): "His main achievement was his attempt, within the framework of traditional teaching, to bring the Church to terms with the modern age. He opened a dialogue between the Church and society in a striking series of pronouncements. In the intellectual field, he directed Catholics to the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. He also fostered the study of astronomy and natural sciences at the Vatican, called on Catholic historians to write objectively, and opened the Vatican Archives to scholars, regardless of creed.

"To meet the challenge of new critical methods, he laid down guidelines for biblical research and devoted several encyclicals to the socio-political order. His most famous encyclical was 'Rerum Novarum,' in which he upheld private property, but also the just wage, workers' rights and trade unions. Its advocacy of social justice earned him the title of 'the workers' pope.'

"Leo also led the 19th-century expansion of Catholicism outside Europe. He established 248 sees, 28 of which were in the United States. He appointed the first apostolic delegate to the U.S. in 1892. In 1899, he censured 'Americanism,' a movement seeking to adapt Catholicism to contemporary ideas and practices. He was also concerned with reunification between separated Christians (he was the first to use the phrase 'separated brothers').

"Notwithstanding his sensitive awareness of contemporary trends, Leo remained a man of deep, conservative piety, and devoted 11 encyclicals to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary, and two to the redemptive work of Christ and the Eucharist respectively. He consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the jubilee year of 1900.

"After its political and spiritual isolation under Pius IX, Leo XIII transformed the international prestige of the papacy and won it a recognition it had lacked for centuries."

-- Francesco C. Cesareo, associate professor of history and director of the Institute of Catholic Studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio

* JOHN PAUL II (1978-): "By his preaching of human solidarity, he shredded the Iron Curtain and brought about the collapse of an empire of enforced atheism. By admitting the sinfulness of the Church, he has ended an era of ecclesiastical 'triumphalism.' By apologies for the failures of Churchmen and his undaunted efforts for ecumenism, he has attempted to heal the schisms of two millennia.

"By his unceasing travels and through the numerous monumental documents of his pontificate, he reaffirms the moral leadership of the successor of St. Peter in the Christian world. His accomplishments certainly merit acclamation as John Paul the Great, perhaps the greatest pope of two millennia."

-- Rev. Conrad Harkin, OFM, associate professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. (JB)

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