Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World: The Catholic Church in the Age of Revolution and Democracy

Despite facing numerous crises, particularly in Western Europe, the Roman Catholic Church remains a powerful and controversial institution with 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide. In his book "Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World," Ambrogio A. Caiani explores the Church's epic history, from its secular prince status in central Italy during the early modern period to its retreat into unreason and denunciation of modern life after the French Revolution. However, as Catholicism lost its temporal power, it made significant spiritual strides and expanded across continents, gaining the world between 1700 and 1903.

Format: Hardback
Length: 560 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Despite facing numerous crises, particularly in Western Europe, the Roman Catholic Church continues to hold a significant presence worldwide, with an estimated 1.3 billion followers. While the Church remains a powerful institution, it is also a controversial one. In his book "Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World," Ambrogio A. Caiani delves into the epic history of the Roman Catholic Church. During the early modern period, the Pope functioned as a secular prince in central Italy, exerting considerable political influence. Catholicism went beyond being a mere religion and became a formidable political force to be reckoned with. However, following the French Revolution, the Church retreated into a fortress of unreason, denouncing virtually every aspect of modern life. The Pope proclaimed his infallibility, the Virgin Mary and her apparitions were declared articles of faith, and the Vatican refused any accommodation with the modern state until a disastrous series of concordats with fascist states in the 1930s. These dark days posed a threat to the very existence of the Church. Nevertheless, as Catholicism lost its temporal power, it made significant spiritual strides and expanded across continents. Between 1700 and 1903, the Church experienced a loss of a kingdom but gained the world. Ambitious and authoritative, this book offers an account of the Church's complex and fraught encounter with modernity in various forms, including liberalism, socialism, democracy, science, literature, and the rise of secular culture.

Weight: 844g
Dimension: 242 x 163 x 50 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800240469