Modern History of the Catholic Church

This course is an overview of the modern era of ecclesiastical history. Beginning with the Enlightenment, we will examine the relationship between the Catholic Church and the world until Vatican II. In the way we will look at the age of revolution, what new ideas like liberalism meant and how popes of the nineteenth century sought to deal with them. The worldwide missionary experience of the Catholic Church at the time, as well as the rich history of Canadian Catholicism will be discussed. Pius IX, Vatican I and the pontificate of Leo XIII will be a key part of the course, as well an examination of the issues that the Church had to confront in the twentieth century, such as world wars and the holocaust. Light will be shed on these topics trough assigned readings, biographical studies and the study of examples of art and architecture from the period.