Legions of the Popes II: A Case Study in Social and Political Transformation

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Mariano Barbato
• Subject Area: Political Science
• Term: from 2015 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 288978882

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

Despite the constant pressure of secularization, the Holy See retained its status as a subject of international law and gained stature as a religious actor in a pluralist global public sphere. With this surprising resilience, the papacy offers itself as a test case for the question of power in the political and social transformation of international relations and the global public. The papacy becomes a hard case when the focus is on resilience in secularized Europe. The project's guiding thesis asserted that the Roman and global mass mobilization of pilgrims represented the basis of the papacy’s political and social power. Churchill’s legendary answer to Stalin’s question about the Pope’s legions, that they were not always visible on parade, should be supplemented to the effect that it was precisely their recurring visibility that made a decisive contribution to the perception of papal power. This power base becomes visible in specific public places. In addition to St. Peter's Square, one should think of the World Youth Days, which can also give secular cities a religious, youthful character and the opportunity to develop realms of memory. Traditional places of Catholic pilgrim mobilization are Marian pilgrimage sites visited and used by popes as a hub for their mass mobilization, too. In order to increase the resonance, the image of the crowds of pilgrims around the Pope must be conveyed through the media. The Vatican maintains its own mass media and is present on social media. The Pope presents himself visually and constantly publishes on a wide range of political topics. Every encounter with the masses of pilgrims is used for speeches, which are available in several translations on the Holy See website going back decades. The second level of resonance reinforcement occurs on the diplomatic stage and is also the responsibility of the Curia. The result was that the papacy specifically and successfully promotes mass mobilization by staging pilgrimage events in Rome, such as the Holy Years, and worldwide through the traveling papacy. Under the secularization pressure of modernity, the papacy not only maintained its position, but was able to expand it. The number of states with which the Holy See maintains full diplomatic relations increased, as did the number of interreligious and postsecular dialogue formats presented to the world public. Even in secular Europe, the papacy was able to provide impetus for shaping geopolitical pilgrimage landscapes through travelling. While the power of actorness could be secured for the papacy through these efforts, the papal discoursive power was less assertive. Using the example of the papal migration discourse, an extensive document analysis showed that even the pope's strong commitment was not enough to influence politics.

Publications

• Legionen des Papstes. Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 26(4), 375-396.
  Barbato, Mariano
  
• Postsäkulares Parlament. Religionspolitik und Politik der Religionen in Deutschland, 63-82. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Barbato, Mariano
  
• 2017. Der Aufstieg des modernen Papsttums. Mobilisierung, Medien und die Macht der modernen Päpste, Römische Quartalsschrift, Band 112 (2017), Heft 1-2, S. 1-20
  Mariano Barbato
  
• Keep the Faith: Progress, Social Justice and the Papacy. Globalizations, 14(7), 1157-1171.
  Barbato, Mariano Pasquale
  
• Papst Franziskus und die Flüchtlinge. Politik und Religion, 101-125. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Barbato, Mariano & Löffler, Johannes
  
• Wege zum digitalen Papsttum. Der Vatikan im Wandel medialer Öffentlichkeit. Frankfurt/Main: Campus 2018. ISBN 9783593509624
  Mariano Barbato, Melanie Barbato & Johannes Löffler
  
• Die Mauer ist keine Lösung“. Die Migrationspolitik von Papst Franziskus. Frankfurt/Main: Campus, 2020. ISBN 9783593512822
  Mariano Barbato
  
• Geopolitics of Papal Traveling: (Re)Constructing a Catholic Landscape in Europe. Religions, 11(10), 525.
  Barbato, Mariano P.
  
• Macht und Mobilisierung. Der politische Aufstieg des Papsttums seit dem Ausgang des 19. Jahrhunderts. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 2020, ISBN: 978-3-451-38573-5
  Mariano Barbato/Stefan Heid
  
• Modern Papal Diplomacy and Social Teaching in World Affairs. Routledge.
  Barbato, Mariano P.; Joustra, Robert J. & Hoover, Dennis R. (Eds.)
  
• Nachhaltigkeit und Subjekt in der simulativen Demokratie. Politik und Religion, 145-168. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Barbato, Mariano
  
• The Pope, the Public, and International Relations. Springer International Publishing.
  Barbato, M. P. (Ed.)
  
• Tamed Mobilization. Marian Messages, Pilgrim Masses and Papal Moderateness in Fatima since Paul VI. Religions, 12(9), 671.
  Barbato, Mariano P.
  
• The power of place-makers and merchants: Papal and Marian items in the political economy of pilgrimage. Revista Galega de Economía, 30(3), 1-16.
  Barbato, Mariano
  
• Die diplomatischen Beziehungen des Heiligen Stuhls. Zeitschrift Für Internationale Beziehungen, 29(2), 5–39.
  Barbato, Mariano & Löffler, Johannes
  
• Die Kommunikationsstrategien von Papst Franziskus, Frankfurt/Main: Campus 2024. ISBN 9783593518299
  Johannes Löffler