The Fisherman's Net: The Influence of the Popes on History

by Michael Collins

The papacy is the oldest non-hereditary monarchy in the world. Over its two thousand years history, it has influenced the lives of billions of people, Christian and non-Christian. The influence of the papacy has by no means been limited to the religious sphere, however. Popes have been directly involved in setting up the Holy Roman Empire, the demise of paganism and global politics. As patrons of the arts, popes have commissioned some of the finest...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587680335
• ISBN13: 9781587680335
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: HiddenSpring
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

What an extraordinary tale.

The Fisherman's Net brings back images of Antony Quinn in the Shoes of the Fisherman. This book is not however, a novel. It is a quirky overview of the papacy from the angle of its influence on most things except religion. Rather surprising but the author, Irish priest Fr. Michael Collins craftily weaves the story in and out of the Church's history. It is really the tale of saints and sinners. I enjoyed the book very much.It has a nice flow, but does not go too deep into the issues. A bit like Thomas Cahill's book How The Irish Saved Civilization. This is a cracking good read, although it seems to leave out more than it puts in. Maybe that was the editors choice. HOwever, it really made me think a lot about the papacy, especially after reading the Da Vinci Code.