By Nate Nkumbu
Popes by natures are supposed to be holy men, ordained by God and the church to lead the Catholic faith.
Not every pope however follows those church rules.
One pope that was infamous for breaking rules was Pope Alexander VI.
Born Roderic Borgia, Pope Alexander VI was the leader of the papacy from 1492 to his death in 1503.
A controversial pope who had fathered children with many mistresses, Alexander VI’s name is now a stand in for all of the vice and nepotism that was once associated with the Catholic church.
He embraced the temporal role of the church and his family wielded real power in the affairs of war and politics.
Not exactly a Pope Peter lookalike.
One of Rome’s few memorials of the first Borgia pope, Calixtus III, from the tail end of the fifteenth century. Photo Credit: Anthony Majanlahti/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
According to Lawrence Cunningham, a Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, while Alexander VI might have been a bad Pope to the Catholic Church, he was beloved and respected by people during his time.
“He was great patronage of the arts during the renaissance and commissioned the likes of Michelangelo and Raphael to work for the vatican and for him,” Cunningham said in an interview with RISE NEWS. “He was important to the new world as he corresponded with the Spanish crown about confirming the discovery.”
Interestingly enough, while often thought as a family only found in a history book, the Borgia’s are still around today.
Borgia’s children that he sired with his mistresses left a legacy of their own.
One of his children’s descendants, Rodrigo Borja Cevallos became president of Ecuador in 1988 at a time when Ecuador was suffering one it’s worst economic crisis.
There was not much Cevallos could do to fix the situation and he was ousted within four years.
But still. How cool is that?
The Borgia family legacy isn’t just held to a descendant becoming president of Ecuador.
Cunningham said that his direct line had influenced The Renaissance and the rise of political realism in a major way.
“Pope Alexander’s daughter Lucrezia would become source for Machiavelli’s The Prince,” Cunningham said. “The Borgia family would have people become dukes, lords and so on. So Pope Alexander VI’s influence still exists to this day.”
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Sharat Ganapati/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Chicago Is A Racist City And It’s Time We Admit It
Recently, the New York Times published an article that spoke to the deep divides within the City of Chicago.
Their findings were nothing really new, Chicago is and always has been known as a city that is separated by class, race, and more. However, the stories in the piece resonate so well that it is time that this city stands up and does something about it.
As cops harm the people they are assigned to protect, as a mayor lets a school system crumble and seems not to care, as corruption persists in the state of Illinois in general it is becoming more and more apparent every single day that change is needed.
Calling for these changes is not even close to what could be seen as calling for idealism in a non-ideal world. These changes are necessary for the existence of our city to continue on.
The view from an open window on the 92nd floor of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. Photo Credit: Roman Boed/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
As a new generation turns into adults, they have the chance to make sure their voices are heard. And it is clear that they are learning to do exactly that.
Following the release of the video of former Chicago cop Jason van Dyke shooting Laquan McDonald sixteen times, protests broke out throughout the city.
Now, this is what the national idea of Chicago should look like.
This fair city should not be defined by the violence, but rather by those who are trying so hard to put an end to it.
For every shooting, there are countless people working to stop it from happening again. For every school that is being closed, there are a number of families fighting for it to remain open.
Activism is key to fix what is a broken Chicago and the voices of these activists should be what defines it in a national sphere, not the data on how many people were shot here this past weekend.
But it cannot be the only thing that Chicagoans rely on for real change to actually happen.
Unfortunately, the people of the city had a chance to oust Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2014.
His opponent Chuy Garcia was a progressive candidate that inspired many in the city, alas, it was not enough and Rahm was given yet another term.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel doesn’t have the temperament needed to fix this hurting city, Lauren Grimaldi argues. Photo Credit: Daniel X. O’Neil/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
While there is nothing wrong with aligning with Mayor Emanuel’s personal political ideology, he himself is alienating and such a strong part of the Democratic Machine in Chicago and the rest of Illinois as a whole that he presents harm to the city the longer the constituents allow for him to continue being Mayor.
While there are still plenty of people who benefit from the tactics of the current mayor, there are just as many whose very lives falter because of his brash decisions.
He is known around politics to be an abrasive man and that style of leadership does not suit Chicago and its current struggles.
The racism that the New York Times reported on; that people of color have felt while living in Chicago of course will not be fixed by a change in mayor, but electing someone with a progressive mission like that of Chuy Garcia’s will undoubtedly help begin to right the wrongs that have plagued the city for so long.
The young people of Chicago deserve so much better than they are getting now. Photo Credit: Roman Boed/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
The violence too will not cease until the core problems of unequal opportunity are fixed and it is clear that the Chicago Democratic Machine has no one willing to take on the challenge of seeing that change.
Thus, the power lies within the people to make the change.
If more and more citizens begin to stand up, protest, and go out and vote to make changes for the better, then there will finally be hope for this city.
Until then, when you hear of the violence that goes on in Chicago every week, stop and remember that is does not and should not define the lives of the people here and that for every shooting there are a great number of people giving their best effort to help make it stop.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: vxla/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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University Of Louisville President Under Fire, After Wearing Poncho And Sombrero At Mexican Themed Halloween Party
James Ramsey, the President of the University of Louisville has apologized for wearing a poncho and sombrero at a Mexican themed Halloween party.
According to the Courier-Journal, the party was hosted by Ramsey and his wife at a mansion used by the university for official events.
#ICYMI #UofL President James Ramsey sombrero photo sparks outcry, apology https://t.co/AxCBCW3PMm pic.twitter.com/G9HxqVHln9
— Courier-Journal.com (@courierjournal) October 30, 2015
Reaction from the campus community came quickly and fiercely. The editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, the Louisville Cardinal Olivia Krauth lambasted Ramsey for his decision making process.
From the Louisville Cardinal:
“There’s a word for this. It’s called racism.
Never mind that if a fraternity threw a party with a Mexican theme and pictures of them in these outfits got out, they would be in huge trouble just like countless other Greek organizations across the country in the past few years.
As the president of a university, I would expect more. As the president of a university currently in the middle of a scandal in the national news, I would expect even more than that. I would expect discretion. I would expect thought and research into whether or not this is considered offensive. Frankly, I would expect more creativity in costume selection. But I guess my expectations are too high for Ramsey.”
This is not the only controversy that the university is facing.
Louisville’s basketball program is also facing allegations that a former graduate assistant paid area call girls to have sex with recruits and players. Grand jury subpoenas have begun to be issued in that case.
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Cover Photo Credit: Courier-Journal/Twitter (Screenshot)
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Pope Francis Arrives In Cuba
Update: 4:25 PM EST
Pope Francis has arrived in Havana, Cuba to kick off his multi-day trip to the island nation and the United States of America.
At around 4:03 PM EST, Francis stepped on Cuba soil and was greeted by Cuban President Raul Castro.
A military band welcomed Francis and a group of young Cuban children handed him flowers.
Castro spoke on the tarmac of Jose Marti International Airport about how Cuba was willing to work with the global community on climate change- an obvious olive branch to the Pontiff’s efforts on the issue.
#EnVivo “La unidad e integración regional deben ser defendidos” .@RaulCastroR http://t.co/h6HgPTbeFi pic.twitter.com/74WhU2jMN3
— Informando (@InformandoRD7) September 19, 2015
Stay with Rise News as we continue to follow this developing story.
third visit of a #pope to #cuba. #popefrancis touches down in #havana pic.twitter.com/wIXz5l7Ie8 — ClarkBentson (@ClarkBentson) September 19, 2015
A billboard in Havana, Cuba, welcoming Pope Francis http://t.co/1uf3HSvMC0 pic.twitter.com/Jc8tGW5tqW — NYT Photo (@nytimesphoto) September 19, 2015
Cover Photo Credit: @ClarkBentson On Twitter
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