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"John W. O'Malley, S.J., is not only the dean of American Catholic historians, he is also one of the church's greatest and most accomplished teachers...Father O'Malley combines immense learning...and fascinating insights to introduce (his audience) to the always colorful history of the papacy. There can be no better guide for the educated reader to the story of the popes than Father O'Malley."

--James Martin, S.J., author of My Life with the Saints on the book version of Fr. O'Malley's acclaimed Now You Know Media lectures

This masterpiece series covers the most fascinating history in the Western World. Educated Catholics, you will love this course.

Now you can trace the amazing story of the papacy, the oldest still-functioning institution of any kind in the Western world, in 36 lectures.  By focusing on popes that shaped vital moments in global history, you will gain a deep understanding of the people, issues and ideas that gave us our Church and our world.  

The story features both trouble and triumph—and Fr. O’Malley deftly tackles both aspects—but above all it tells of resiliency.  You will be enthralled as you listen to Fr. O’Malley explain how pope after pope responded to challenges from barbarians, “Christian” monarchs, disgruntled bishops, and above all, from the faults and failures of human nature, in order to guide Peter’s bark through the rugged seas of time.

With this order, you will receive, free of charge, a detailed study guide on CD. The study guide, included on a special CD, includes outlines for each topic, review questions and suggested readings for further study and will arrive with your audio CDs. Using this CD, you are allowed to print up to 7 copies of your guide. Simply insert the CD into any computer to access the file.

About Your Presenter

John W. O’Malley, a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus, is currently University Professor in the Theology Department of Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. His specialty is the religious culture of early modern Europe. Father O’Malley has written and edited a number of books, several of which have won best-book awards. For instance, The First Jesuits, perhaps his best known work, received both the Jacques Barzun Prize for Cultural History from the American Philosophical Society and the Philip Schaff Prize from the American Society for Church History. It has been translated into ten languages. In 2008, he published with Harvard University Press What Happened at Vatican II, which is a companion to his book from the same press, Trent: What Happened at the Council (2012).

Father O’Malley has lectured widely in Europe and North America to both professional and general audiences. He is past-president of the Renaissance Society of America and the American Catholic Historical Association. He holds the Johannes Quasten Medal from The Catholic University of America for distinguished service in religious studies. In 1995 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 1997 to the American Philosophical Society, and in 2001 to the Accademia di san Carlo, Ambrosian Library, Milan. He holds lifetime achievement awards from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, the Renaissance Society of America, and the American Catholic Historical Association.

Topic Titles

• Introduction
• Peter, Bishop of Rome?
• After Peter and Paul, What?
• Constantine, 'The Thirteenth Apostle'
• Prosperity to Crisis: Damasus and Leo
• Gregory the Great. (590-604)
• Greeks, Lombards, Franks
• Charlemagne: Savior or Master?
• Their Darkest Hour
• Saving the Papacy
• Pope Gregory VII: Who's in Charge Here?
• Compromises, Councils, and Crusades
• Pope Innocent III, 'Born to Rule' and Vicar of Christ
• Pope Boniface VIII: Big Claims, Big Humiliation
• "The Babylonian Captivity"
• The Great Western Schism, 1378-1417
• The Restored Papacy
• Two Councils and Two Popes
• Some Renaissance Popes
• Alexander VI and Julius II
• Leo and Luther
• Medici, Tudors, Habsburgs, Valois
• Pope Paul III: A Turning Point
• Reforming the Church: Popes and the Council of Trent
• New Bureaucracy, New Rome
• Jesuits, Jansenists, Gallicans, and Philosophers
• Trauma: Revolution....then Napoleon!
• The Papacy: Restored (again!) and Beleaguered
• Pius IX and the Insolence of the Risorgimento
• Leo XIII: Searching for Solutions
• Pius X and Benedict XV: Fear and Sadness
• Pius XI: Dealing with Mussolini and Hitler
• Pius XII: Saint or Sinner?
• Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council
• Pope Paul VI: In a Tight Spot
• Pope John Paul II and Conclusion