The startling changes that have taken place within the Catholic Church since World War II were the direct accomplishments of Pius XII and his successors. These modern popes, however, formed their policies and wrought these changes based on the work of four transitional popes who preceded them: Leo XIII (1878-1903), who re-established a direct link between the papacy and the lay communicant; Pius X (1903-1914), who was a conservative reactionary; and Benedict XV (1914-1922) and Pius XI (1922-1939), who revived and extended Leo's efforts to modernize the Church and its policies. Based largely on unpublished or ephemeral materials, Papal Elections in the Age of Transition recounts the stories of how these four men rose to the papal throne, including previously unpublished details of the conclaves. This fascinating narrative sheds new light on the rise to power of the popes who prepared the way for the Catholic Church at the dawn of the twenty-first century.

For a full list of entries and contributors, a generous selection of sample entries, and more, visit the Papacy: An Encyclopedia website. Routledge is pleased to publish this acclaimed resource in a revised, expanded, and updated English language edition, translated by a team of experts in papal history. This comprehensive three-volume reference not only covers all of the popes (and anti-popes) from St. Peter to John Paul II, but also explores the papacy as an institution. Articles cover the inner workings--both contemporary and historical--of the Holy See, and encompass religious orders, papal encyclicals, historical events, papal controversies, the arts, and more. This set is destined to be the standard English-language reference for all issues concerning the papacy. Also inlcludes five maps.

The Papacy and the Orthodox examines the centuries-long debate over the primacy and authority of the Bishop of Rome, especially in relation to the Christian East, and offers a comprehensive history of the debate and its underlying theological issues. Siecienski masterfully brings together all of the biblical, patristic, and historical material necessary to understand this longstanding debate. This book is an invaluable resource as both Catholics and Orthodox continue to reexamine the sources and history of the debate.

This edition of History of the Catholic Church Volume I and II comes complete with a Touch-or-Click Table of Contents, divided by each chapter. This wonderful book charts the history of the Catholic Church. This edition comes complete with both volumes in one book! Catholic doctrine teaches that the Roman Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ at the Confession of Peter. It interprets the Confession of Peter as acknowledging Christ's designation of Apostle Peter and his successors to be the temporal head of his Church. Thus, it asserts that the Bishop of Rome has the sole legitimate claim to Petrine authority and the primacy due to the Roman Pontiff. The Catholic Church claims legitimacy for its bishops and priests via the doctrine of apostolic succession and authority of the Pope via the unbroken line of popes, claimed as successors to Simon Peter. With the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, the Church has so far seen largely a continuation of the policies of his predecessor, John Paul II, with some notable exceptions: Benedict decentralized beatifications and reverted the decision of his predecessor regarding papal elections. In 2007, he set a Church record by approving the beatification of 498 Spanish Martyrs. You can purchase other wonderful religious works from Wyatt North Publishing.

This book contains twelve studies by well-qualified authors, many of them already very well-known in the field of ecumenism. It represents a stocktaking at the end of the twentieth century of "the unity we have" and a reassessment of "the unity we seek." It provides a well-documented overview of the field: a thorough and accessible introduction for everyone with an interest in ecumenism and an invaluable resource for everyone involved at any level. A substantial section charts some of the major ecumenical developments of the twentieth century and some of the new problems that have emerged.

Reproduction of the original.

In the present volume, an international team of 20 scholars examines the triangle between Vatican diplomacy, public opinion and the international environment.