CATHARI OR ALBIGENSES AND WALDENSES

CATHARISM Catharism (from Greek: , katharos, pure) was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. Catharism had its roots in the Paulician movement in Armenia and the Bogomils of Bulgaria which took influences from the Paulicians. Though the term "Cathar" has been used for centuries to identify the movement, whether the movement identified itself with this name is debatable. In Cathar texts, the terms "Good Men" (Bons Hommes) or "Good Christians" are the common terms of selfidentification. WALDENSIANS Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source material. They were persecuted as heretical in the 12th century onwards, and endured nearannihilation in the 17th century. There are active congregations in Europe, South America, and North America. The contemporary and historic Waldensian spiritual heritage describes itself as proclaiming the Gospel, serving the marginalized, promoting social justice, fostering interreligious work, and advocating respect for religious diversity and freedom of conscience. Modern Waldensians are gathered in the Waldensian Evangelical Church Statue of Peter Waldo at the Luther Memorial atWorms, Germany

MOVEMENTS WITHIN THE CHURCH

FRANCISCANS

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Nondenominational Franciscan communities. The most prominent group is the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called simply the "Franciscans." They seek to follow most directly the manner of life that Saint Francis led. This Order is a mendicant religious order of men tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi. It comprises three separate groups, each considered a religious order in its own right. These are the Observants, most commonly simply called "Franciscan friars," the Capuchins, and the Conventual Franciscans. They all live according to a body of regulations known as "The Rule of St. Francis".

DOMINICANS
The Order of Preachers (Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum), after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order orDominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III (121627) on 22 December 1216 in France. Membership in the Order includes friars, nuns, congregations of active sisters, and lay persons affiliated with the order (formerly known as tertiaries, now Lay or Secular Dominicans).

POPE
The Pope (from Latin: papa; from Greek: (pappas), a child's word for father)[2] is the Bishop of Rome, a position that

makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church (which is composed of the Latin Rite and the Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the seeof Rome). In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle. The current office-holder is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected in a papal conclave on 19 April 2005. The office of the pope is known as the Papacy. His ecclesiastical jurisdiction is often called the "Holy See" (Sancta Sedes in Latin), or the "Apostolic See" based upon the Church tradition that the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul were martyred in Rome. The pope is also head of state of Vatican City,[3] a sovereign city-state entirely enclaved within the city of Rome.

A monk (from Greek: , monachos, "single, solitary") is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions and in philosophy.

THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE PAPACY

Christendom, or the Christian world,[2] has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Christians, adherents of Christianity. In a historical or geopolitical sense the term usually refers collectively

to Christian majority countries or countries in which Christianity dominate or was a territorial phenomenon. CLOVIS Clovis (c. 466511) (Ch-)Leuthwig (Ludwig, Louis) was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul (France). He was the son of Childeric I and Basina. In 481, when he was fifteen, he succeeded his father.[1] The Salian Franks were one of two Frankish tribes who were then occupying the area west of the lower Rhine, with their center in an area known as Toxandria, between the Meuse and Scheldt (in what is now the Netherlands and Belgium).

Pope Leo I (ca. 400 November 10, 461)

was pope from September 29, 440 to his death. He was an Italian aristocrat, and is the first pope of the Catholic Church to have been called "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452, persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy. He is also a Doctor of the Church.

Pope Gregory I (Latin: Gregorius I) (c. 540

12 March 604), better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death. Gregory is well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope. Throughout the Middle Ages he was known as the Father of Christian Worship because of his exceptional efforts in revising the Roman worship of his day.

Pope Saint Gelasius I

(died November 21, 496)

was pope from 492 until his death in 496. He was the third and last bishop of Rome of African origin in the Catholic Church. Gelasius was a prolific writer whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Gelasius had been closely employed by his predecessor, Felix III, especially in drafting papal documents. His reign was characterized by his call for strict orthodoxy, a more assertive push for papal authority, and increasing tension between the churches in the West and the East.

LESSON 7- Scanty pieces of evidence dating back to the 1st century AD indicate that the church at Rome had already attained a certain preeminence in doctrinal matters even among those few churches which could lay claim to apostolic foundation. The apostolic credentials of Rome, moreover, would appear to have been uniquely impressive. It is certain that Saint Paul had preached at Rome, and he was probably put to death there about 67 during the reign of Nero. It seems likely, as well, that Saint Peter had visited Rome and had also been martyred there. About Peter's actual position at Rome, however, and about the position of the early Roman bishops, the historical record is silent. What is unquestioned is that by the 3d century the Roman bishops were representing themselves as having succeeded to the primacy that Peter had enjoyed among the apostles and as wielding within the universal church a primacy of authority in doctrinal matters.

LESSON 8- The sixteenth century, of course, was the century of the Reformation. At first, the Catholic Church suffered great setbacks as the Protestant movement became very strong and won much of Northern Europeand some of Eastern Europe as wellto the Protestant cause. However, by the time that century wore on, there was a counter-Reformation, which we studied earlier, and the Catholic Church was able to recover from the shock of the Reformation. In time, the Catholic Church was aggressively

on the move in Europe, including in Hungary, where large tracts of territory were won back from the Protestants and the Reformed faith, as we saw in an earlier lesson.

LESSON 9- Popery having brought various innovations into the Church, and overspread the Christian world with darkness and superstition, some few, who plainly perceived the pernicious tendency of such errors, determined to show the light of the Gospel in its real purity, and to disperse those clouds which artful priests had raised about it, in order to blind the people, and obscure its real brightness. The Albigenses were a people of the reformed religion, who inhabited the country of Albi. They were condemned on the score of religion in the Council of Lateran, by order of Pope Alexander III. Nevertheless, they increased so prodigiously, that many cities were inhabited by persons only of their persuasion, and several eminent noblemen embraced their doctrines. Among the latter were Raymond, earl of Toulouse, Raymond, earl of Foix, the earl of Beziers, etc.