Sin and Redemption in Rome

Rome is a city rich in history. On one of our stops yesterday, a tour guide said that anytime a hole is dug in Rome, there's something to be found. Aside from the history that is found in the ground, much can be uncovered by looking towards one of the most defining parts of Rome: the Vatican.

We visited the Vatican yesterday and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. There were so many rooms each dedicated to something different like tapestries, maps, and animal sculptures. I was most excited to see the Sistine Chapel, and it did not disappoint. Later, we saw St. Peter's Basilica which is the Catholic church to end all Catholic churches.

Our article focused on the Catholic church and its economically driven past. During the Middle Ages, the Church was losing members and therefore the revenue that those members brought to the Church. To attract more members, the Church started to preach about a new source of hope called purgatory. Purgatory is a limbo state between heaven and hell where the dead can stay and pay for their sins in the afterlife to purify their souls of all sin so they may eventually enter heaven. Before purgatory, the Church required that sins had to be repented of and paid for by good works. Now, Catholics could use money to buy indulgences to pay for sin, even the sins of the deceased to get people out of purgatory or decrease a sentence in purgatory to enter heaven as soon as possible. This new teaching increased the "market share" of the Catholic church by bringing more people to their sect. Purgatory was a smart economic move on the part of the Church because it fulfilled the demand of relatives and friends of the deceased to see their loved ones well-off in the afterlife. Over time, the Church began to sell indulgences on a very individualized basis to capture most all consumer surplus. This is called first degree price-discrimination and it allowed for people to pay at their maximum willingness.

The Catholic church became a dominant firm and a monopolist with its sale of indulgences and quickly gathered the largest following of all religions in its time. The Catholic church grew in wealth and power centuries ago and continues to have a massive membership today.

Below is a picture of the outside of the Vatican and the inside of St. Peter's Basilica.