History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French Revolution — Volume 1MacCaffrey, James
Religion
History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French Revolution — Volume 1
MacCaffrey, James
Catholic Church -- History -- Modern period, 1500-
The restoration of order in the Papal States and the suppression of
the robbers who terrorised peaceful citizens were the first work to
which he directed his attention. Nor was it long till the severe and
almost extreme measures he adopted, and in which he was supported by
the Italian princes, produced their effect. The bankrupt condition of
the papal treasury necessitated a close revision of the papal
finances, and so well did Sixtus V. succeed in this respect that he
was able to bequeath to his successor immense reserves. Though very
careful about expenditure for his own uses or on the papal court he
spent money freely on the erection and decoration of churches, and on
the improvement of the city of Rome. He extended the Vatican Library,
in connexion with which he established a new printing-press, provided
a good water supply (/Acqua Felice/), built the Lateran Palace,
completed the Quirinal, restored the columns of Trajan and Antoninus,
erected the obelisks of the Vatican, St. Mary Major, the Lateran and
Santa Maria del Popolo, and built several new streets to beautify the
city and to prevent congestion.
His administrative ability manifested itself in the establishment of
various congregations, to each of which was committed some particular
department of work in the administration of the Church and of the
Papal States. Hitherto most of this work had been done by the
/auditores/ or the /penitentiarii/ according as it belonged to the
external or internal forum, or else in consistories of the cardinals.
The idea of Sixtus V. was not entirely a novel one. The Congregation
of the Index (1571) and the Holy Office (1588) had been established
already, as also a commission to watch over the execution of the
decrees of the Council of Trent (1564). By the Bull, /Immensa Aeterni
Dei/[6] (11th Feb. 1588) Sixtus V. established fifteen different
congregations, the most important of which were the Congregation of
the Index, of the Inquisition, of the Signatura, of the Council of
Trent, of Rites and Ceremonies, and of Bishops and Regulars. By means
of these various bodies the work was done better and more
expeditiously without impairing in the slightest the authority of the
Pope. In 1586 he issued the Bull, /Postquam verus/ by which he fixed
the number of cardinals at seventy, namely, six cardinal-bishops,
fifty cardinal-priests and fourteen cardinal-deacons. He had prepared
and published a new edition of the Septuagint (1588) as a preparation
for the revised edition of the Vulgate, which was brought out later,
and was of so faulty a character that it was necessary to withdraw it
from circulation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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