This magnificent new publication distinguishes itself from others by its comprehensiveness, and in its coverage of Eastern, as well as Western, saints. The book contains approximately 7,000 Saints and Blesseds. Entries come in strictly alphabetical order of name: where there are numerous saints with... (more)

The papacy is as old as the Christian Church itself, and a crucial influence on the political history of medieval and modern Europe. Pope Leo III's coronation of Charlemagne established the first real imperial power in the West since the fall of Rome and created the model for what would become the H... (more)

Excerpt from book. Afterword, entitled: [How to spot a pope] They say that a cardinal who enters the conclave pope leaves it a cardinal. That is about as true as the suggestion that every rotund pope is followed by a lean one. Well, perhaps a little more true, but a number of cardinals who hav... (more)

Tells the stories of the outstanding cardinals of the Catholic Church through the centuries - the powerful, the saintly, the corrupt, and the compromised.

Who increasingly thought of himself as the "bearer of Christ" to the New World? Who was involved in negotiations for the release of American hostages during the Khomeini regime? Which saint was called on a mission to save France and later accused of witchcraft and heresy? Who established the Christi... (more)