"The Church is a lucid, balanced, and readable book--a work of integration that is always reasonable, well informed, honest, and deeply hopeful."
--Commonweal

In The Church, renowned religious historian and Vatican expert Richard P. McBrien offers a sweeping history of the evolution of the Roman Catholic Church, its influence and power in an ever-changing world. From Jesus's apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church is a remarkable achievement that delves deeply into the past and the future of Christianity's largest branch--in fact, the largest religious institution in the world--exploring its politics, doctrines, and the way the Roman Catholic Church views itself.