PONTIFEX MAXIMUS

For many people, the popes are an irrelevance: if they consider them at all, lt may be as harmless old men who preach obscure in Latin. But the history of the is far from bland.

But the history of the popes is far from bland. On the contrary, it is occasionally so bizarre as to stretch incredulity. Popes have led papal armies, fled in disguise to avoid capture, fathered children, and authorized torture. They have been excommunicated, arrested, blinded, assaulted and even strangled. Some have been hated to such a degree that their funeral processions have been disrupted and statues of them torn down after their deaths. Many have been the enemies of freedom and progress – divisive rather than unifying figures.

In a fascinating read for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, Christopher Lascelles examines the history of the popes through the ages, laying bare the extent to which many of them fell so very short of the Christian ideals they supposedly represented. He explains how it was that, professing to follow a man who said ‘My kingdom is not of this world’ and 'Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth’, they nevertheless became the heads of a rich state that owned more land in Europe than any king, relying on foreign military aid to keep power; and how pride, greed and corruption became commonplace in an institution founded on love, faith and forgiveness.

Christopher Lascelles is a New York Times best-selling author. His first book, A Short History of the World, a simple introduction to world history, has been repeatedly on the best-seller lists at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and has been translated into eight languages. He is currently writing A Short History of the Future.