A comprehensive history of the papacy describes the defining relevance of papal authority to the Church, chronicling the unexpectedly violent and colorful historical events that have indelibly shaped the Pope's authority and station.

A Harvard symbologist analyzes a mysterious symbol seared to the chest of a murdered physicist and discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood to carry out its vendetta against the Catholic Church.

Zavala destapa las historias ocultas m?s sorprendentes que se esconden tras los muros del Vaticano. ¿Intentaron envenenar a Juan Pablo II? ¿Es verdad que existi? un Vaticano franc?s? ¿Por qu? Juan XII fue el peor pont?fice? ¿Qu? papas muertos permanecen hoy incorruptos? ¿Es cierto que existi? la papisa Juana? ¿Cu?ntos antipapas ha habido a lo largo de la historia? ¿Y cismas? ¿Qu? indujo a Napole?n Bonaparte a declararle la guerra a P?o VII?...

"For more than twenty-five years John Thavis held one of the most fascinating journalistic jobs in the world: reporting on the inner workings of the Vatican. His daily exposure to the power, politics, and personalities in the seat of Roman Catholicism gave him a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on an institution that is far less monolithic and unified than it first appears. Thavis reveals Vatican City as a place where Curia cardinals fight private...

Traces the story of a seventeenth-century mistress who significantly influenced the Catholic church and international policy in Rome during the reign of her lover and brother-in-law, Pope Innocent X.