The Popecast: A History of the Papacy

Apr 06 2024 100 ep. 20 mins 427
The Popecast: A History of the Papacy Podcast artwork

The unvarnished, non-boring history of the popes of the Roman Catholic Church – told in a way to remind us that the world and the Church’s problems today have happened plenty of times before. Become a Paid Subscriber: https://anchor.fm/thepopecast/subscribe

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The Pope Who Rescued St. Peter's Basilica from Collapse (Interview w/ Author Wayne Kalayjian)

Apr 06 2024 100 mins  
Wayne Kalayjian is author of the new book Saving Michelangelo’s Dome: How Three Mathematicians and a Pope Sparked an Architectural Revolution, the incredible story of how precarious cracking throughout the dome of St. Peter's Basilica prompted an unprecedented collision of the greatest minds in construction, science, math, and the Catholic Church. GET THE BOOK: Saving Miche

The First “Pontifex Maximus” (St. Siricius)

Dec 02 2022 11 mins  
Our pope this week reigned at a time when the historical record wasn’t much, and we don’t know a whole lot about his life as a result. And yet his contributions to the history of the papacy have still resounded for over 1600 years. Read Pope St. Siricius' full letter: https://thepopecast.fm/blog/siricius-decretal PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast NEWSLETTER: https://pope

Artificial Intelligence, Demonic Possession, and Visions of Mary (Interview w/ Sci-Fi Author Andrew Gillsmith)

Nov 18 2022 54 mins  
Today we chat with Andrew Gillsmith, author of the new and critically-acclaimed sci-fi novel, Our Lady of the Artilects. The book is absolutely outstanding (find the link to purchase it below) in its merging together of a plausible ultra-high-tech future and a global landscape that's shifted both geographically and spiritually. GET THE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3E8bFpq Find Andrew on T

The Pope Who Sent St. Patrick to Ireland (St. Celestine I)

Sep 09 2022 11 mins  
Our pope this week was your garden variety early Church pontiff – battling heresy, beautifying churches, and being an all around good guy. But one thing set him apart...sending a certain snake-expelling bishop on mission to a little island in the North Atlantic, and changing the face of the world forever. PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substac

The Other Pope Named John Paul: The BEATIFICATION CUT (Blessed John Paul I)

Sep 04 2022 32 mins  
Our pope this week was in the Chair of Peter for barely a moment in the great lifespan of Catholic history, but his humble heart and joyful demeanor has influenced each of the three popes that have followed him and put him firmly among the most memorable and beloved pontiffs of the last several centuries. And yes, this is the second time we’ve covered him on the show, but he de

The Third Pope Ever (St. Cletus)

Aug 20 2022 10 mins  
First it was Peter. Then it was Linus. And then it was this guy. PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast EMAIL: [email protected] NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substack.comSupport The Popecast: A History of the Papacy

Keeping a Cool Head While Covering the Pope (An Interview w/ Timothy Nerozzi)

Aug 12 2022 67 mins  
Today's episode is a great conversation with Timothy Nerozzi, who currently works as a Breaking News Reporter for Fox News. Timothy shares his take in particular on why secular reporting about the pope is quite terrible these days, his approach to journalism, and then of course we go into great detail on the office of the papacy itself – why we should keep a level head about

The "Pope" from Kansas (Pope Michael)

Aug 04 2022 10 mins  
Now, here at The Popecast we normally cover those men who are considered to be “valid popes” – that is, a legitimate part of the unbroken line of succession in the Roman Catholic Church that began when Jesus gave the keys to Peter and, as is commonly understood, sits now with Pope Francis. And while there have been grandiose antipopes throughout history – men who we may o

The Last Pope in History to NOT Change His Name (Marcellus II)

Jul 29 2022 17 mins  
This pope is another one of those best kept secrets of Catholic history – he held some of the most influential post in Renaissance Christendom, presided over Catholicism’s response to the Protestant Reformation, and then cracked the top 10 for shortest papal reigns. But his mom sure would have been proud that he kept the name she gave him. PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepope

The Popecast Origin Story and Other Tales (Matt's Interview on Real Presence Radio)

May 19 2022 26 mins  
Matt had the pleasure of being a guest on Real Presence Radio out in the Midwest, on a show hosted by none other than our most recent special guest Fr. Richard Kunst, to talk about the origins of The Popecast and his own personal favorite popes and papal history stories, among other things. PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast EMAIL: matt