Publisher's Synopsis
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Known by many names, the Bishop of Rome is the leader of the Catholic Church and is most commonly known as the Pope. The jurisdiction of the Papacy is known as the Holy See and the Pope is also head of Vatican City State, a very small sovereign city-state tucked into the city of Rome. The role of the Pope was initially to evangelize the spiritual message of Catholicism, as well as resolving disputes concerning doctrine. Allied with the Roman emperors, the Papacy claimed great political power which lasted throughout the middle ages. Modern Papacies are no longer involved in secular issues and focus solely on matters of the Church. This book explores the physicality of the Papacy including Vatican City, the Holy See and the Apostolic Palace where the Pope resides. Also included is the process of selecting a new Pope (Papal Conclave), legends surrounding the Papacy, Papal regalia and insignia, and much more. Project Webster represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Project Webster continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge.