Keepers of the Keys of Heaven

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A01=Roger Collins
administration of the Papal States
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Author_Roger Collins
authority of the Vatican
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Bishop of Rome
canon law
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Catholic community
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development of the Curia
electing a new Pope
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history of Catholicism
history of religion
history of the papacy
Holy See
influential human institutions
Language_English
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papal history
Pope Francis
pope's funeral
portraits of popes
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Roman Pontiff
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St Peter
the Vatican and Rome
Vatican
Vatican City
who will be the new Pope
world history

Product details

  • ISBN 9780753826959
  • Weight: 520g
  • Dimensions: 136 x 216mm
  • Publication Date: 18 Mar 2010
  • Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
  • Publication City/Country: GB
  • Product Form: Paperback
  • Language: English
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'This is a wonderful, magnificent account of an institution that has touched the lives of millions and still does.' Alexander McCall Smith

A complete history of the Papacy - one of the most enduring and influential of all human institutions.


Few human institutions have survived so long and played a continuously important role in world history and affairs than the Papacy. From the time of St Peter to the present day, this establishment has sought to make sense of contemporary issues. Its story is a long and complicated one, full of incident, ideas and the interplay of personalities.

In this masterful single volume, eminent scholar Roger Collins offers an account of the entire arc of papal history, describing how its authority was acquired and exercised, and in turn, challenged and threatened; how it faced and overcame crises - both from within and without; its relationship with Rome; the tradition of artistic patronage; and the character and policies of individual popes.

KEEPERS OF THE KEYS OF HEAVEN is a vivid and revealing portrait of an enduring body, chronicling two thousand years of ambition, scandal, persecution, faith and glory.

Roger Collins was born in London and educated at Oxford. A distinguished religious scholar who has published widely on medieval Europe, he is an Honorary Fellow at Edinburgh University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He lives in Edinburgh.

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