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The Church offers a comprehensive explanation of how the Roman Catholic Church theologically understands its internal organization and its relationship to the rest of the world. From Jesus's apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, renowned scholar Richard P. McBrien explains in layman's terms the origin of Catholicism, its relationship to the historical Christ, and its discipline and leadership. The infallibility of the Pope, celibacy of the clergy, and the position of the Catholic Church on major political and moral issues of today are all addressed in this sweeping history of the largest religious institution on the planet.

Richard P. McBrien is Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. A leading authority on Catholicism, he obtained his Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and was the first Visiting Fellow in the John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the bestselling author of Catholicism, Lives of the Popes, and Lives of the Saints, as well as the general editor of the Encyclopedia of Catholicism. Most recently a consultant for ABC News, McBrien has served in the past as an on-air commentator on Catholic events for CBS television, and continues to offer regular commentary on all the major television networks. McBrien is also a prize-winning syndicated columnist in the Catholic press.

In this immensely deep, timely and accessible book, Professor McBrien probes the meaning of the church through the centuries. It is a must for all Christians.

- Lord George L. Carey, member of the House of Lords and the former Archbishop of Canterbury