The Popecast: A History of the Papacy

The Popecast: A History of the Papacy

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

Episodes

May 2, 2025 79 mins

Although the papal election process has over the centuries, since 1996 the Catholic Church's rules governing conclaves have stemmed from a document from Pope St. John Paul II entitled Universi Dominici Gregis.

On today's episode, we're joined by Donald Paul Maddox, author of the excellent publication In Defense of Theology on Substack and co-host of the Saints in the Parish podcast, to take a deep dive into how the upco...

Mark as Played

Friend of the show and renowned papal memorabilia collector Fr. Richard Kunst rejoins The Popecast to talk about the Conclave of 1903 and the last instance of "jus exclusivae" – the right assumed by Catholic monarchs for centuries to veto a pick for the next pope (through their cardinal primate) if they found a particular candidate objectionable – along with various papal historical intricacies and speculations about the ...

Mark as Played

Our favorite Instagram world traveler and fan of the show - Marilis Pineiro of @exnunontherun - joins The Popecast for EPISODE 100 to share some great stories about her time in religious life serving Pope Francis directly while working in the Vatican.


FOLLOW: instagram.com/exnunontherun


NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substack.com

FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast

EMAIL: popecastmc@gmail.com


Mark as Played

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 Michelangelo's Dome


PATREON: https://patreon....

Mark as Played

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://popes.substack.com
FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepo...

Mark as Played

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 Twitter @andrewgillsmith

Other book references from ...

Mark as Played

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.substack.com
FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast<...

Mark as Played

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 deserved a refresh – after all, on the day this is bein...

Mark as Played
August 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: matt@thepopecast.fm
NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substack.com

Support The Popecast: A History of the Papacy

Mark as Played

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 Pope Francis, how the papacy has been changing over t...

Mark as Played
August 4, 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 one day talk about in more detail – today’s subject is anoth...

Mark as Played

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/thepopecast
FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast
EMA...

Mark as Played

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@thepopecast.fm
NEWSLETTER: https://pop...

Mark as Played

Today’s pope is certainly one for the record books. Even though he was only in office a couple short years, he’s memorable for one major papal staple that we take completely for granted these days.

PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast
FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast
EMAIL: matt@thepopecast.fm
NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substack.com

Sponsored By:

Mark as Played

Today’s episode is one we’ve been very excited to bring you all for a long time. Our guest, Fr. Richard Kunst, is the curator of the world's largest collection of papal memorabilia and artifacts outside of the Vatican. Our conversation covers everything from how Fr. Rich’s collection came to be, some of the coolest and strangest articles he’s seen, his appearances on Pawn Stars, and (in the patron-only bonus section) even some ...

Mark as Played

Our man this episode is altogether unique – and not just because he’s the only Successor of Peter with this particular name. No, he’s actually most famous for something he had no control over at all – because he was dead.

PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast
FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast
EMAIL: popecastmc@gmail.com
NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substack.com

Sponsored By:

Mark as Played
February 19, 2022 28 mins

This episode is about another one of those popes who you’ve probably never heard of, but is definitely one to remember. He was saintly from an early age, and despite desiring a life of anonymity in his service to Christendom, was plucked by the emperor from obscurity to become pope and, ultimately, usher in one of the biggest reform movements in Catholicism’s 2,000 year history.

PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast
FB / T...

Mark as Played

This week it's a special episode of the show – professor, historian, and author Dr. Michael Breidenbach joins the show to talk about his new book, Our Dear-Bought Liberty: Catholics and Religious Toleration in Early America (https://amzn.to/3e0RDAM)

Especially for those in America, the story Dr. Breidenbach tells in his book and on the podcast – how English-turned-American Catholics wrestled between fealty to the king and feal...

Mark as Played
December 10, 2021 9 mins

Today’s episode is about a pope who’s probably easy to overlook. He only reigned for a short time, we don’t know all that much about him, and he isn’t remembered as a saint – a canonized one anyway. And yet, he dabbled in plenty of important things and did alright.

PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast
FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast
EMAIL: popecastmc@gmail.com
NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substack.com

Sponsored ...

Mark as Played

Today’s episode is about a pope who lived...and died...during the last and worst of Rome’s persecutions of the Christian people, that of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. But just how that living and dying went is still up for discussion. 1700 years later.

PATREON: https://patreon.com/thepopecast
FB / Twitter / Instagram: @thepopecast
EMAIL: popecastmc@gmail.com
NEWSLETTER: https://popes.substack.com

Sponsored By:

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Intentionally Disturbing

    Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior, current events, and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire. After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist, I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit, quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness. I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit. I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche, armed with dark humor and biting wit.

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.