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Strategic canonisation : sanctity, popular culture and the Catholic Church
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Bennett, Oliver (2011) Strategic canonisation : sanctity, popular culture and the Catholic Church. International Journal of Cultural Policy, Vol.17 (No.4). pp. 438-455. doi:10.1080/10286632.2010.544726 ISSN 1028-6632.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2010.544726
Abstract
In his twenty-seven year reign (1978-2005), Pope John Paul II created not only more
saints than any other pope in history, but also more saints than all the other popes
put together since Pope Urban VIII centralised control of saint-making in 1634. This
article argues that the elevation of ‘celebrity saints’, such as Padre Pio and Mother
Theresa, can be seen as an attempt on the part of the Catholic Church to strengthen
its presence within the arena of popular culture. Through a sustained programme of
‘strategic canonization’, John Paul II promoted models of sanctity that conveyed very
clear social and political messages. Such messages were amplified through extensive
Catholic media and, where ‘celebrity saints’ were involved, through the secular
media too. These processes are analysed first, in relation to the general area of
sexual politics; and secondly, to the Church’s historic relationship with Nazism.
Whilst John Paul’s programme may not have achieved all that it intended, it clearly
demonstrated the Catholic Church’s unique capacity to reinvent very old forms of
cultural policy for changing times.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity H Social Sciences > HM Sociology |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Religion and culture, Catholic Church, John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005, Canonization, Popular culture -- Religious aspects, Celebrities -- Religious aspects | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | International Journal of Cultural Policy | ||||
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis | ||||
ISSN: | 1028-6632 | ||||
Official Date: | 16 August 2011 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.17 | ||||
Number: | No.4 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 438-455 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1080/10286632.2010.544726 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 17 December 2015 | ||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 17 December 2015 |
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