Lives of the Popes - reissue: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI

From early elders to modern pontiffs, this guide surveys two thousand years of history across more than 260 pontificates.

McBrien provides historical context for each pontificate, tracing how the office expanded from local oversight into a universal ministry. The volume outlines seven historical eras, charting ecumenical councils alongside secular events from imperial Rome to the modern era.

Chronological tables record the longest and shortest reigns, calculate papal firsts, and catalog key encyclicals. Appendixes explain the rules of conclaves, outline removals from office, and provide candid ratings of each pontiff.

This pocket edition of Richard McBrien's acclaimed Lives of the Popes is a practical quick reference tool for scholars, students, and anyone needing just a few concise facts about all the popes, from St. Peter to Benedict XVI.

• Church History: Explores pivotal turning points and structural crises across the centuries, from the East-West Schism of 1054 to the Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council.
• European History: Traces the complex interactions between church and state, illustrating how pontiffs clashed with Roman emperors, medieval monarchs, and modern regimes like the French Directory.
• Papal Biographies: Delivers frank, critical assessments that rate pontificates from outstanding leaders like Gregory the Great to notorious figures such as Alexander VI.
• Reference Guide: Features supplemental appendixes detailing thirty-nine antipopes, the history of conclaves, and the constitutional rules promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1996.
• Also by This Author: The Church, Lives of the Saints and Catholicism.