Which of these facts are true?

It is the smallest country in the world

It has its own stamps and coins

It is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church

All of the above!

 

Did you know that the Vatican is a country–the smallest in the world? Find out the amazing history of the headquarters of the Catholic Church.

 

It’s time to elect a new pope. Hundreds of thousands of people gather in front of St. Peter’s Basilica to learn who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church. A white puff of smoke from a chimney signals the cardinals–the “princes” of the church–have elected one of their own who will continue to be the leader of the faith that has been around for more than two thousand years. Author Megan Stine charts the beginning of Christianity and its hold on members of the faith as well as the countless struggles for power (one pope was poisoned by his own men!), the building of the Vatican and creation of the Sistine Chapel, and the Secret Archives that hold papers the church has accumulated over the centuries.

 

是該選新教皇的時候了。數十萬人聚集在聖彼得大教堂前想知道誰將成為天主教會的下一個領導人。煙囪冒出一團白煙，表明紅衣樞機主教們（教會親王）已從中選舉出新的教皇，而他將繼續成為已有兩千多年歷史信仰的領袖。

 

作者梅根·斯汀描繪了基督教的誕生，它如何控制信徒及造成無數權力鬥爭（其中一位教皇被自己親信毒死！），也包括梵蒂岡和西斯汀教堂的建立以及梵蒂岡秘密檔案館(現更名為梵蒂岡宗座檔案館) -- 保存有教會積累數百年的文件。

（文字整理/楊靜愉）