As Christians, our faith is founded on the papal office, the very institution Christ Himself bestowed authority on to lead His Church.

In A Year with the Popes, award-winning author Fr. Jeffrey Kirby gives an original exposition of the nobility and enduring power of the papacy. This manual feels like an engaging parade through the history of the papacy, showing its biblical foundations in Sacred Scripture and providing portions of Saint Peter’s own letters from the New Testament, before pivoting to recount the twists and turns of the papal ministry and the various men who have served as successors of Saint Peter.

Father Kirby dives into the triumph of the good and saintly popes and the scandals of the bad, and provides papal teachings that occurred at monumental times, such as the slave trade, the Line of Demarcation that prevented a European war, the Galileo affair, the institution of a new calendar for the West, reactions to the world wars of the twentieth century, the advent of the sexual revolution, and more.

Avoiding academic staleness and cold, empty passages from documents, A Year with the Popes gives an encouraging affirmation of the divine character of the papal office as it walks through history and explores the teachings of these men who were called the Vicar of Christ.