The papacy is the oldest continuously functioning institution in the world. To put that fact into perspective, consider that when George Washington was elected our nation's first president, the 250th pope was already reigning. More than one billion Roman Catholics throughout the world look to the pope each day for guidance and leadership. And at the death of John Paul II last year, more than four million people streamed into Rome to pay their respects...

More than a billion Roman Catholics throughout the world today look to the pope for guidance and leadership. Despite the papacy's enormous influence, how much do you really know about this ancient and powerful institution? Catholics and non-Catholics alike will enjoy these 24 illuminating lectures about this remarkable institution. Professor Noble gives you priceless insights into the dramatic history of the papal office and the lives of the men

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The particular conditions of 15th- and 16th-century Italy allowed the popes to augment their power and fashion themselves as rulers. Here, explore papal programs designed to cement Rome as Christendom's true capital (after a century of geographic dislocations) and their architects, including Nicholas V, Pius II, and Sixtus IV.

"Could Pope Francis be the most tyrannical and unprincipled pontiff in modern times? Yes, says Church historian Marcantonio Colonna, in his controversial yet judicious new book, The Dictator Pope. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope in 2013 as a liberal and a reformer. In fact, he was neither--except by coincidence. Though he was not well-known within the College of Cardinals that elected him, close observers in his native land...

Professor William R. Cook explores the vast and fascinating history of one of the most influential spiritual institutions in the world. Follow the development of this powerful religious force throughout the centuries and witness its ability to move armies, inspire saints, and shape the lives and spirits of its more than 1 billion members.

Diarmaid MacCulloch discusses the beginnings of Catholicism, the rise of the Catholic Church in Rome and the Papacy.

Traveling now to France, contemplate the unusual history of Avignon as the 14th-century seat of the papacy"”an era that created the medieval city we see today. Visit the extensive circuit of medieval walls, the great Romanesque cathedral with its splendid papal tombs, and the imposing buildings of the Palace Square.

This video is an in-depth analysis of the best selling novel, including the struggle between science and religion.It contemplates the lives of English poet Milton, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Galileo. There is a brief review of the Papacy, including the Propaganda 2 affair that some believe culminated in the assassination of Pope John Paul I. Also included are conspiracies surrounding the Masons

After the fall of the empire in the West, how did Byzantium in the East persist for another nine centuries? Start with this look at Chapters 45 to 47, which cover the consolidation of France under Clovis, the establishment of the papacy as the center of Christendom, and a new swarm of religious heresies.

"A major reinterpretation of the religious superstate that came to define both Europe and Christianity itself, by one of our foremost medieval historians. In the 4th century AD, a new faith grew out of Palestine, overwhelming the paganism of Rome, and resoundingly defeating a host of other rival belief systems. Almost a thousand years later, all of Europe was controlled by Christian rulers, and the religion, ingrained within culture and society, exercised...