Like the Pharaohs he admired, Cecil John Rhodes (1853-1902) hoped to be remembered for 4,000 years. Barely 120 years later, many people want him expunged from history altogether. A major figure in the British Empire, he has been the subject of a bitter international controversy. This book sheds new light on a complicated story, relates the history of the Rhodes Scholarships, and suggests common-sense rules for commemorating contested figures as diverse as Robert E. Lee and Mahatma Gandhi.....

To the outside world, Quebec is Canada’s most distinctive province. To many Canadians, it has sometimes seemed the most troublesome. But, over the last quarter century, quietly but steadily, it has wrestled successfully with two of the West’s most daunting challenges: protecting national values in the face of mass immigration and striking a proper balance between economic efficiency and a sound social safety net. Quebec has also taken a lead in fighting climate change. Yet, many people – i...

A fascinating and enlightening look at the world’s oldest and most mysterious institution, written by an American journalist with unparalleled knowledge about the Vatican's past and present.The sexual abuse scandals that shook American and British Catholicism in 2002 brought to light a long-standing cultural gap between the English-speaking Catholic world and the Vatican. In Rome, the crisis was often seen as an attack on the Church mounted by money-hungry lawyers, a hostile press,...

On March 13, the cardinals of the Catholic Church, gathered to elect a successor to a living Pope for the first time in 600 years, announced a dramatic shift. By elevating Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina to become Pope Francis the 266th Pontiff, the cardinals were naming the first-ever Pope from the growing New World to take the helm of the church at a crucial moment.It was a stunning move by a 2,000-year-old institution that has immense influence—with 1.2 billion adher...

One of the world’s foremost religion journalists offers an unexpected and provocative look at where the Catholic Church is headed*—and what the changes will mean for all of us.*What will the Catholic Church be like in 100 years? Will there be a woman pope? Will dioceses throughout the United States and the rest of the world go bankrupt from years of scandal? In THE FUTURE CHURCH, John L. Allen puts forth the ten trends he believes will tra...

This definitive biography of Pope John Paul II explores his historic influence on the world stage: "Magnificent. A tremendous achievement" ( Washington Post).As head of the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005, John Paul II was one of the world's most transformational figures. With unprecedented cooperation from the Pope, as well as the people who knew and worked with him throughout his life, George Weigel offers a groundbreaking portrait of hi...

John Paul II and the dark heart of the Catholic Church...In 1984 David Yallops In Gods Name changed the way that the world looked at the Vatican. In The Power and The Glory David Yallop returns to Rome with another explosive story: the true history of the papacy of John Paul II. From the first moment of his papacy, Karol Wojtyla sought political influence and a role on the world stage. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, he was a leader to mi...

Many books have been written about the success of the West, analyzing why Europe was able to pull ahead of the rest of the world by the end of the Middle Ages. The most common explanations cite the West’s superior geography, commerce, and technology. Completely overlooked is the fact that faith in reason, rooted in Christianity’s commitment to rational theology, made all these developments possible. Simply put, the conventional wisdom that Western success depended upon overcoming religious...

In The Jesuits, Malachi Martin reveals for the first time the harrowing behind-the-scenes story of the "new" worldwide Society of Jesus. The leaders and the dupes; the blood and the pathos; the politics, the betrayals and the humiliations; the unheard-of alliances and compromises. The Jesuits tells a true story of today that is already changing the face of all our tomorrows.

From the author of the bestselling Why Catholics Are Right, a perfectly timed book on the new Vatican -- where it is, where it needs to go, and why it is more relevant than ever.When Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, became Pope Francis in March 2013, there were almost 6,000 journalists in Rome to cover the Papal election. Some of them reported on the conclave with expertise and empathy, but others -- either out of ignorance or an agenda -- insist...

On March 13, 2013, at 7:06 pm (Central European Time), white smoke was spotted rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel where the conclave was being held. It could only mean one thing -- a new pope had been chosen to lead the Catholic Church. Although many did not know the name of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Cardinal from Argentina, as he was not predicted to be the new pope by any of the analysts or even administrators of the church, the world quickly began to praise him for his extr...