clericalism
Sign in to saveClericalism is a phrase with many overlapping meanings, but commonly referring to a system of clerical power or influence over government.
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
13 sectionsContents
- Definitions, descriptions
- Origin
- Clericalism and canon law
- Political Ideology
- Criticism
- Sex abuse by clergy
- Clerical narcissism
- Anti-clericalism
- Organization and hierarchy of church organizations
- In literature
- See also
- References
- Literature
Clericalism is a phrase with many overlapping meanings, but commonly referring to a system of clerical power or influence over government.
Journalist and former priest James Carroll has argued that clericalism was not part of the Gospels. The origins of clericalism are traced to the religious organization of the late Roman Empire, which had converted to Christianity under Constantine the Great. The French politician Léon Gambetta (1838—1882) stated that clericalism was the main opponent in the battle for public freedom from ecclesial power.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “clericalism” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.