John W. O'Malley, S.J., was a Roman Catholic priest and professor of religion at Georgetown University. He lived in Washington, D.C., and is the author of numerous books, including What Happened at Vatican II and Four Cultures of the West.

• Part 1 PrefacePart 2 IntroductionPart 3 From the Margins to the Center of the Roman WorldChapter 4 Peter: Bishop of Rome?Chapter 5 After Peter and PaulChapter 6 Constantine: The Thirteenth ApostleChapter 7 Prosperity to Crisis: Damasus and Leo the GreatChapter 8 Gregory the GreatPart 9 Bringing Order out of ChaosChapter 10 Greeks, Lombards, FranksChapter 11 Charlemagne: Savior or Master?Chapter 12 Their Darkest HourChapter 13 Saving the Papacy from ItselfChapter 14 Gregory VII: Who's in Charge Here?Part 15 Development, Decline, DisarrayChapter 16 Compromises, Crusades, Councils, ConcordatsChapter 17 Innocent III: Vicar of ChristChapter 18 Boniface VIII: Big Claims, Big HumiliationChapter 19 Avignon: The Babylonian CaptivityChapter 20 Three Popes at a Time: The Great Western SchismChapter 21 Renaissance and ReformationChapter 22 The Restored PapacyChapter 23 The Renaissance PopesChapter 24 Luther, Leo, and the AftermathChapter 25 Paul III: A Turning PointChapter 26 Five Popes and a CouncilChapter 27 The New RomePart 28 Into the Modern EraChapter 29 The Storm BreaksChapter 30 Pius VII: Bowed Down and Raised UpChapter 31 Beleaguered, Infallible, and Prisoner AgainChapter 32 Leo XIII: Searching for SolutionsChapter 33 Pius X: Confronting Modern CulturePart 34 The Papacy as a Global InstitutionChapter 35 War, Peace, FascismChapter 36 Pius XII: Saint or Sinner?Chapter 37 John XXIII: Peace and ReconciliationChapter 38 Paul VI: In a Tight SpotChapter 39 John Paul II: The World is My ParishPart 40 EpiloguePart 41 List of Popes

Documenting fifteen hundred years of history in 300 pages is a daunting task, but one that priest and Georgetown University professor O'Malley handles with gusto and a fair hand; considering the level of emotion that the Papacy can inspire, O'Malley reserves his enthusiasm for the unexpected twists of history, rather than any particular character or school of thought. In concise but engaging prose, O'Malley manages to find virtue in popes maligned by history, and a critical approach to the frequently-lauded, while keeping an eye on the world at large. . . . Readers eager for a breezy survey of papal history will be pleased.