The author of the landmark bestseller Catholicism profiles every pope throughout history the benevolent and the base, the bizarre and the beloved in one detailed and comprehensive volume.

Lives of the Pope is the most thorough, vivid, and fascinating history of the papacy available. Renowned Catholic commentator Richard McBrien offers a fresh, intelligent look at each of the 262 popes, including:-

The Apostle Peter, the first pope, in his singular role as Vicar of Christ

Formosus, the pope whose corpse was exhumed, dressed in full vestments, and subjected to a mock trial for papal misdeeds

Boniface, elected pope after having been defrocked twice for immorality

John XXIII, perhaps the most beloved pope in all of history

Lives of the Popes provides chronologically arranged biographies of the pontiffs, revealing the full sweep of the papacy. Each entry contains essential information on a pontiffs life, major writings, controversies, and deeds both great and evil. McBrien eloquently and powerfully brings to life the unique stories of the popes and reveals how they transformed Christianity and the world.
John Paul II, the present Bishop of Rome