Full text: The national Church of Sweden

136 III.—THE ROMANIZED CHURCH (A.D. 1130—138). 
daughter Katharine, and by other travellers from Sweden. 
Her revelations took the form of prophetic warnings 
addressed to Rome and to the popes, and to various leaders 
of the Church ; but usually her life was a quiet well-ordered 
and serious round of study, devotion, careful meal-times 
and ministry to the poor. She was much too independent 
to enter a monastery, for, while she desired to live by rule, 
she did not wish to live under rule. She never even wore 
the habit of her own order. The city was dis- 
tracted by the factions of the Orsini and the Colonna 
families, and was sometimes hardly safe to move in. She 
was protected by one of the Orsini family, and in 
time got a house lent her, which, after a while, be- 
came a priory of her order, and the agency of Vad- 
stena, and almost of Sweden in Rome. It is near the 
Campo di Fiore and is still shown. She had a long and 
tedious time of waiting before her vision was fulfilled. 
Clement VI., and his successor, Innocent VI., lived and 
died at Avignon. At last, in 1367, she had the joy of see- 
ing Urban V. enter Rome, and the Emperor Charles IV. 
came for a time in the next year. Urban showed her great 
favour, and in 13570 sanctioned the statutes of her order, 
though only ‘‘ per modum constitutionum,” as a branch 
of the Augustinians, and gave her many privileges. But 
he left Italy in September of that year, and Birgitta prophe- 
sied his death, which took place in Avignon after a few 
months. This event immensely increased her reputation as 
a prophetess. She now wished to fulfil her long-cherished 
design to visit Palestine. In 1372 she started on this 
pilgrimage, passing Naples, where her son Karl, a married 
man, boldly made love to the queen—Joanna—a lady of no 
good record—much to Birgitta’s distress. But he died 
there, much to her relief, and, as she supposed, in answer 
to her prayers. I have already spoken of the consolation 
which she received in visions of the rescue of his soul in the 
other world. She went on with Birger, who was made a 
knight of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. Her strong
	        
Waiting...

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