History of the Papacy Podcast · History of the Papacy

03 A Detour to Rome: Revolution and the Catholic Crisis

·29 min·3 clips

Vatican I declared papal infallibility, transforming the Pope into a transcendent authority just as Italy seized Rome.

This episode explores the Catholic Church's profound crisis and transformation during the late 18th and 19th centuries, as it faced the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, Napoleon, and liberal revolutions. It traces how the papacy nearly collapsed, then reinvented itself by abandoning political power, asserting spiritual authority through papal infallibility, and expanding globally.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from History of the Papacy Podcast