Did you know that the papacy is not only the Western world’s oldest still functioning religious institution, but indeed it's the oldest extant institution of any kind?

That in itself might be called an amazing fact. Yet more remarkable still, as Father O’Malley, explains, the papacy is not merely still around but remains as vigorous and vital today as it has ever been.

Popes, especially those of the past half century, have regularly made front page news and set off wide-ranging debates. They've faced totalitarian political regimes, problems of social justice, war and peace, the relationship between religious faith and modern science, and a host of intense ethical controversies.

Thus has this quintessential Roman Catholic institution come to capture the interest not only of Catholics, but of a vast global public that transcends religious boundaries.

Yet do you know the tale—richer and more colorful than any Hollywood screenwriter could imagine—of how the papacy actually came to be what it is?

Father O’Malley is a Catholic priest, but this is not a course in the theology of the papal office, nor is it meant for Catholics alone. Instead, he strives to be as objective as possible, basing himself always on the best historical evidence available. Both Catholics who regard the pope as Christ’s vicar on earth and non-Catholics who want to know more about this key institution will benefit from these lectures.

The story features trouble as well as triumph, but above it tells of resiliency. You’ll listen enthralled as Fr. O’Malley explains how pope after pope has responded to threats from "barbarians," from "Christian" monarchs, from disgruntled bishops, and, above all, from the faults and failings of earlier popes in order to guide Peter’s bark through the rugged seas of time.

Some popes, like Gregory the Great, were saints who bestrode their times. Others were far less worthy. Most showed a more ordinary mixture of strengths and weaknesses, perhaps not unlike most of us.

You may know that in the 14^th century the popes spent more than 70 years living in France, but do you know how and why that came about—and what the fallout was? Who were the scandalous "Borgia popes"? You know about Michelangelo, but would you like to hear more about his genius patron, Pope Julius II? Do you know when and why popes began to write the encyclicals for which they have become famous? How did Vatican City come to be? Was Pius XII "Hitler’s Pope" (as the title of a recent book has it) or Hitler’s enemy?

This is a small sampling of the topics the lectures will cover. Running through them will be the twin themes of the popes’ unwavering faith in the responsibilities of their office and their often quite distinct ways of fulfilling them.

Go back to top of page.
Read more about this speaker.
See other programs presented by this speaker.

Go back to top of page.