The Cambridge History of the Papacy: Volume 3, Civil Society

Focuses on the influence the papacy has had on a broad range of social and cultural developments.

Joëlle Rollo-Koster (Edited by), Robert A. Ventresca (Edited by), Melodie H. Eichbauer (Edited by), Miles Pattenden (Edited by)

9781108493772, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 March 2025

816 pages
23.5 x 16.1 x 4.2 cm, 1.47 kg

Historically, the papacy has had – and continues to have – significant and sustained influence on society and culture. In the contemporary world, this influence is felt far afield from the traditional geographic and cultural center of papal authority in western Europe, notably in the Global South. Volume 3 frames questions around the papacy's cultural influence, focusing on the influence that successive popes and various vectors of papal authority have had on a broad range of social and cultural developments in European and global societies. The range of topics covered here reflects the vast and expanding scope of papal influence on everything from architecture to the construction and contestation of gender norms to questions of papal fashion. That influence has waxed and waned over time as successive popes have had access to greater resources and have had stronger imperatives to use their powers of patronage and regulation to intervene in society at large.

General Introduction Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Robert A. Ventresca, Melodie Eichbauer and Miles Pattenden
Part I. Spaces, Liturgies, Travels: 1. Papal Rome in the Middle Ages Louis I. Hamilton
2. Urbi et Orbi. The Pope, Rome, and the modern world Antonella De Michelis
3. Papal travels Jan De Volder
4. Papal ceremonial: from Christian liturgy to social media Jennifer DeSilva
5. Papal tombs in the Middle Ages Nicolas Bock
6. Charity and the Papacy Tiffany A. Ziegler
Part II. Women, Gender, Sexuality: 7. The myth of Pope Joan Jan Machielsen
8. The keys to two Marys: Popes and the women of scripture Kate E. Bush and Vanessa Corcoran
9. Popes and sexuality within and outside marriage Fernanda Alfieri
10. Papacy and marriage David d'Avray
11. Popes, contraception and abortion Lucia Pozzi
12. The papacy, homosexuality, and same-sex marriage Umberto Grassi and Vincenzo Lagioia
13. Clerical sexual abuse and papal power Jo Renée Formicola
Part III. Science, Medicine, Technology: 14. Medicine in the court of the Avignon papacy Caley McCarthy
15. Popes, the body, medicine, and the cult of saints after Trent Rebecca Messbarger
16. Catholic bioethics from Pius XI to Pope Francis Don O'Leary
17. The Popes, and magic Matteo Duni
18. Heavens: the papacy, astrology and astronomy to 1800 C. Philipp E. Nothaft
19. Care for our common home: the papacy and the environment Daniel R. DiLeo and Christopher Hamlin
20. Popes and the media Raffaella Perin
Part IV. Education, Culture, Arts: 21. Papal patronage and the reception of classicism in medieval Rome Elizabeth McCahill
22. Books, libraries and texts Ambrogio Maria Piazzoni
23. The papacy and printing (1564–1633) Paolo Sachet
24. Papal patronage and the arts: from the early Christian period to the twentieth century Arnold Witte
25. The papacy and music Richard Sherr
26. The Popes and education in early modern Europe, 1400–1800 David Salomoni
27. The Papal Wardrobe Clare Monagle
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Church history [HRCC2]