Lives of the Popes
CatholicCulture.org · Thomas V. Mirus
Show overview
Lives of the Popes has published 7 episodes during 2026. That works out to roughly 2 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run ten to twenty minutes — most land between 12 min and 17 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language Religion & Spirituality show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 6 days ago, with 7 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Thomas V. Mirus.
From the publisher
They have governed the world's largest religion for the past two millennia - yet their fascinating history is strangely little-known. These are the lives and reigns of the popes of the Catholic Church, told in a continuous chronological narrative, from St. Peter on through successors famous or obscure. Put another way, this is a popes'-eye view of the whole history of the Catholic Church. Hosted by Thomas Mirus. A production of CatholicCulture.org.
Latest Episodes
The Great Persecution
The Little Peace of the Church
Popes of the Lost Sheep
Ep 4The First Antipope
The first four of the six popes covered in this installment found themselves in conflict with a priest named Hippolytus, the most brilliant intellectual of the Roman Church at the time. Hippolytus would become the first antipope in the history of the Church, plaguing three successive papacies with his schism. Yet his story has a happy and even poetic ending. This episode covers popes #15-#20: Sts. Zephyrinus, Callistus I, Urban I, Pontian, Anterus, and Fabian. Article https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/first-antipope/ Modalism https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/47-heresies-modalism-god-as-monad-with-three-names/ St. Hippolytus of Rome https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-17the-long-strange-trip-hippolytus-rome/ Leo XIII's encyclical on marriage https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/leo-xiii-on-what-marriage-owes-to-church/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
Ep 3The Ten Popes of the Second Century
Little is known about many of the popes of the second century. Several of them were martyrs. They had to deal with different heresies that made their way to Rome, and there was also a controversy over the correct date of Easter. This episode covers popes #5-#14: Sts. Evaristus, Alexander I, Sixtus I, Telesphorus, Hyginus, Pius I, Anicetus, Soter, Eleutherius, and Victor I. Article: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ten-popes-second-century/ Way of the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/way-fathers/ Way of the Fathers on St. Irenaeus of Lyons (an important source about the early popes) https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/irenaeus-lyon-putting-smack-down-on-heresy/ Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/audiobooks/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
Ep 2Popes of the Apostolic Era
The first three popes after St. Peter likely knew the Prince of the Apostles personally and may even have been hand-selected by him. We know little of Sts. Linus and Cletus, but the first writing we possess by a pope after St. Peter himself is a precious letter by Pope St. Clement I to the Church of Corinth. Article: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/popes-apostolic-era-lives-popes-2/ Audiobooks of Pope St. Clement's letters: Letter to the Corinthians https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-clement-rome-letter-to-corinthians/ Apocryphal Second Letter https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/so-called-second-letter-st-clement/ More about St. Clement's Letter on Way of the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/clement-rome-earliest-christian-author-after-apostles/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
Ep 1Introducing Lives of the Popes
One must beware a rabbit hole. Article: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/lives-popes-part-one-infinity/ DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters