Keepers of the Keys: A History of the Popes from St Peter to John Paul II

In Keepers of the Keys Nicolas Cheetham gives readers an overview of every Pope. Necessarily superficial, it gives a general knowledge of highlights & trends in the history of the Papacy. Besides papal history, it provides a glimpse into European history as it intersects with the story of the Church. Several concepts were interesting. Among them were the competition in the early Church for primacy between the Sees of Rome & Constantinople. The various justifications advanced for the primacy of Rome, based primarily on succession to St Peter, are explained. The changing roles of the Papacy as the Church emerged from its beginnings as an oppressed minority to its reign as the Religion of the Empire & beyond, mirror the evolving political organizations thru the centuries. The sections dealing with the suppression of the Jesuits & the responses of Pius XI & Pius XII to the Nazis were presented from original angles. The suggestion that Hitler may have arrested Pius XII & taken him to Germany, as Napoleon's underlings had taken Pius VII to France in continuation of the all too traditional fate of many prior popes, poses an interesting "What if?" There were some questionable things about this book. I'd heard that for some Popes very little is known beyond their names. Cheetham seems to know something about each. During much of the book, it seems that the main papal interests were political. Even many of the heresies seemed to be intertwined with political & dynastic rivalries. One wonders if the Popes ever dealt with religious issues until modern times. Again, giving Cheetham the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the early Popes were more occupied by earthly, rather than spiritual, concerns. This book is an interesting read. Readers should stick with it. It improves toward the end as it deals with more familiar modern Popes.--James Gallen (edited)