Word: pontiffs
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Road to Rome. In 1443, the Pope visited San Marco to dedicate the finished convent. Two years later, the Pontiff called Fra Angelico to Rome to begin the great work of decorating the Vatican. Decorating the Chapel of the Sacrament and the "studio" of the Pope with frescoes (since destroyed), and painting scenes of the lives of St. Lawrence and St. Stephen in the Pope's private chapel were to take up Fra Angelico's time, off and on, for the remaining ten years of his life...
Tactical Affront. Ironically enough, it was under the prompting of Pope Urban VIII that Galileo began Dialogue on the Great World Systems, the masterpiece for which he was to be punished by the Inquisition. Warily checking his signals with the Pontiff. Galileo found that the Pope had only two reservations: i) the Copernican theory must be treated as a hypothesis, not as a certainty, and 2) since God was omnipotent and might create and govern the universe in any way He chose, Galileo was to put forth no proposition which "necessitated" God to operate in any one fixed way. Galileo...
Rome's Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith last week announced the excommunication, three years ago, of Monsignor Li Wei-Kwang, onetime Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Nanking. His offense: "Acting by word and deed against the legitimate authority of the representative of the Supreme Pontiff in China." The excommunication was not published until now, in hopes that the erring priest might mend his ways. Instead, according to Osservatore Romano, Li has recently become "leader and proclaimer among Christians of movements that have the purpose of dividing Catholics and changing the essence of the only church...
...Almost fully recovered from his recent illness, Pope Pius XII went for a ride in a transparent automobile. This car, the Pontiff's own idea, was built in Turin of crystal glass on a 1954 U.S. Chrysler chassis. Purpose: to let people see the Pope full-length, even in inclement weather (he feels that frequent public appearances are necessary to forestall rumors about his health...
Arms Pool for Europe. Mendès visited the sights of Rome with Premier Scelba and donned morning coat and topper to call on Pope Pius XII. He was the first French Premier ever to visit the Pope. It was also the first audience granted by the ailing Pontiff since late November. They talked for 20 minutes, and Mendès presented the Pope with a collection of 17th century sermons. Emerging from the Vatican, Mendès said of its splendors: "Now I understand what grandeur really is." The Italians were delighted...