Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church

From the best-selling author and former New York Times investigative reporter, an unprecedented look at the defining struggles of the modern Catholic Church, told through the lives of the last seven popes

When the jolly Italian peasant-turned-cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli of Venice was elected Pope John XXIII in 1958, change was in the air. The Church, many said, had refused to enter the twentieth century. In response, Pope John launched Vatican II, an "ecumenical council" that summoned hundreds of church leaders to Rome. It marked one of the most progressive turns the Church had taken in centuries: "medicine of mercy," as Pope John called it. Yet not everyone in the Church was prepared to accept this modernization. The lines were drawn--in a battle that continues to rage into the twenty-first century.

In Jesus Wept, Philip Shenon takes us inside the Holy See to reveal its intricacies, hypocrisies, and hidden maneuverings, bringing all the momentous disputes and issues vividly to life: priestly celibacy, birth control, homosexuality, restoring ties with other Christians and Jews, shameful sex abuse crimes, the role of women in the Church.

In his rich portrayals of the popes from John to Francis, Shenon draws on research across four continents, including hundreds of interviews and the exhaustive archival material. He also brings to light other key figures in the Church, such as Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, the incredibly powerful, conservative, and staunchly anticommunist director of the Holy Office under Pius XII, who lived proudly by the motto semper idem--"always the same." This is a consummate, vibrant history of the modern Church.

Author: Philip Shenon
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Published: 02/11/2025
Pages: 608
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.78lbs
Size: 9.25h x 6.25w x 1.22d
ISBN: 9781101946411

About the Author
PHILIP SHENON was a reporter for The New York Times for more than 20 years, serving as both a Washington and foreign correspondent. He is the author of one book on the Kennedy assassination and one on the 9/11 Commission. He lives in Washington, DC.