Chapter Thirty-Three – Europe and the Vatican
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Events will soon unfold in Europe that will shake the world. An unmatched superpower will arise. Wielding enormous political, economic and military power, it will challenge the world’s greatest nations for global supremacy.
Ten countries or ten groups of nations will combine to impose their will on a sleeping, unsuspecting world. These will work in tandem with a religious power. Where will this union come from? How will it operate? How will it work with the religious power? Is there European precedent? The answers will affect you. In fact, everything around you will change.
The world is a dangerous place. And never more so than now. The threats of global terrorism, rogue nations, economic collapse, and nuclear proliferation are ever present. There are many more than these. There also exists a lack of leadership in the world. The United Nations is at best ineffective. America is in steep decline. Russia is rebuilding. China is emerging. So is India. The Middle East continues boiling over. The European Union is striving to integrate. No clear leader is evident.
Seeing the void, Pope Benedict in June 2009 formally called for a “world political authority” with “real teeth”—with power to enforce its rules upon all nations.
All who think this way will get their wish.
Pope John Paul II called for Europe to return to its “roots”—to recapture what made it great. Benedict repeated this. Many others have called on Europe to take the mantle of global leadership.
Who Will Lead?
For 500 years, Europe has played the leading role in shaping the world. The continent has produced matchless advances in art, music, science, business, education, agriculture, technology and architecture.
Think. Monumental historical developments began in Europe before impacting other continents—the Renaissance, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and two World Wars. The richest and most powerful nations in history have been European or those founded by their descendants. In short, Europe has been the axis around which the world has revolved.
However, at this time the continent is troubled, beset by problems of every kind: economic stagnation, terrorism, illegal immigration, low birthrates, widespread crime, clashes of culture and difficulties with integration, among others.
The result? Europeans have become disenchanted with their leaders. Increasingly, in European Union elections, citizens show their displeasure by voting out center-left incumbents, often now preferring right-wing extremists that they would never have previously considered.
Feeling their concerns have been ignored too long, many millions have become very unhappy.
Both the current and previous popes identified Europe’s problems as “spiritual.” For one and a half millennia, religion has played the biggest role in shaping the continent. It has been the only glue capable—albeit always temporary—of galvanizing diverse cultures and competing national agendas.
As problems multiply, Europeans are looking for direction—for someone with a “map and compass” to lead them out of their troubles, and to provide real solutions. At the same time, the Vatican is concerned about the state of Europe, and of the world. A strong leader is vital.
Will one arise? What role will religion play?
History’s Pattern Begins—Justinian
To answer these questions, it is crucial to first understand the 1,500-year relationship between Europe and the Vatican.
Recall that in AD 324, the Roman Emperor Constantine, after seeing a vision, established “Christianity” as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Until that time, professing Christians lived under constant threat of persecution. We saw that countless numbers were put to death, often in horrible fashion.
In 325, Constantine convened the Council of Nicea to settle doctrinal disputes. Most accepted its decrees. Those who did not were forced to flee for their lives, especially after the Council of Laodicea in 363 decreed Sunday the official day of “Christian” worship—replacing God’s Seventh-day Sabbath.
The church at Rome was now a key player in Europe’s affairs. Over the next 300 years its influence grew. In AD 476 the unthinkable happened. The powerful Roman Empire fell to barbaric German tribes. This colossal event rocked both Europe and the Vatican.
After Rome fell, the papacy worked behind the scenes to eliminate the invaders. In 554, Justinian restored the empire as the “Holy Roman Empire.” This was significant. “Holy” was added to signify God’s kingdom on Earth. This began the Vatican’s role as the most influential factor in selecting the emperor.
From this time forward, the relationship of church and state would be the primary driver of European affairs. The emperor ensured the state carried out the church’s wishes. In return, the church’s support gave him credibility with the people. The Vatican was now the dominant player in Europe.
The empire declined after Justinian’s death in 565. Over the next 200 years, it would ebb and flow with successive rulers, never returning to its former glory. How would events turn?
Charlemagne
During the eighth century, a powerful Germanic Frankish kingdom emerged in France and Germany. In AD 732, the Franks rescued Europe from invasion by defeating the Muslim Saracens in a momentous victory at Tours, France. A grateful Vatican recognized the Franks as the “defenders of Christianity.”
After the Frankish Emperor Pepin died in 768, his son Charles took the throne. He would become known as Charlemagne or Charles the Great—or to the Germans, Karl der Grosse. Charles immediately undertook several military campaigns—successfully uniting Western Europe. Responding to a desperate plea for help from Pope Adrian I, Charles defeated the Lombards, and in the process united Italy.
After several victorious campaigns—and a generous donation of land to the church!—Charles was hailed as “defender and guardian of the Christian faith.” The alliance between the church and the Franks was strengthened.
Charles’ defining moment came in 800. Pope Leo III crowned him “Imperator Romanorum”—Emperor of the Romans. The crowning cemented the marriage between church and state, and restored the Holy Roman Empire.
Most significantly, it elevated the church above the secular power and showed the crown to be the pope’s to give and to take away. Pope Leo XIII would later declare, “There must, accordingly, exist between these two powers [church and state] a certain orderly connection, which may be compared to the union of the soul and body in man.” So very telling.
Europe fell into disarray after Charlemagne’s death, as foreigners continually invaded the continent. Time and again, the church and various governments were at loggerheads. Disunity reigned. Weakness in the church proved to be tied to weakness in Europe—and vice versa.
Both awaited a leader to point the way forward.