The authority structure within the Catholic Church is distinguished by a clear separation between members and the hierarchy such as the Pope, bishops, and priests, which allows the the church to operate conventionally and traditionally. As defined in the lecture, authority is determined by who the leaders are and the boundaries that they set. The Catholic hierarchy is lead by bishops who hold most, if not all of the power within their specific Church. The Pope, for example, is the bishop of Rome who governs and stands before the members of the Catholic community. The authority structure within the Catholic Church is rooted in its deep history, and remains, for the most part, the same today. However, the perception of the Pope during the Renaissance period is dramatically different from how he is looked at today. As media continues to intertwine with religious communication, the Pope has increasingly become a social icon within popular culture to the point of idolatry, tainting the power and authoritative structure of the Catholic Church.
The Religious Social Shaping of Technology Approach highlights the importance of understanding how religious communities negotiate new forms of media by considering history, tradition, core beliefs and communal framing of the group, as discussed in the lecture. Due to the Catholic Church’s strict authoritative structure, it is easy to assume that the church would be opposed to adapting new media into their system, however, it is quite the opposite. The Catholic Church’s use of media whether it be Catholic broadcasts, online streaming of masses, or the Pope’s Twitter account, has influenced a shift in how the Pope is portrayed in our society. During the Renaissance, the Pope was depicted as royalty among other subjects in artistic paintings and architecture, whereas today, photos of the Pope can be seen on magnets and calendars sold on almost every street corner in Italy.
Although the name and artist of the painting below was not noted, this painting displayed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence presents an image of what is assumed to be a Priest to the right of Mary. He is dressed in a white robe with an intricate cloak draped over his shoulders. The authority that the Pope holds within the Catholic Church is evident in this painting considering his quality dress, his proximity to Jesus and the motioning of his blessing. There is much more meaning and purpose behind this painting.
From a contemporary standpoint, the art seen on street corners and on newsstands portrays the Pope in a much more casual, light-hearted way, essentially lowering the power distance between him and the members of the Catholic Church. The image below was taken at the St. Peter’s gift shop in Vatican City. The Pope’s face is seen stretched across rosary cases, jewelry boxes and keychains. The idea of selling items such as these seen in the photo, effects the value and significance of the Pope for he is seen more as a product to be bought, or an idol to be glorified.
The authoritative structure will always remain the same within the Catholic Church, however, the reputation and appearance of the Catholic hierarchy will continue to evolve as media further infiltrates religious communication. Authority is taken very seriously within Catholicism, however, due to popular culture and utilization of media, the line of separation between the hierarchy and the members will begin to blur within the minds of the Catholic members.