The Popecast: A History of the Papacy

By The PopecastHistory

The Popecast: A History of the Papacy episodes

October 09Building a Custom Papal Tiara for Pope Leo XIV
We're joined this week by Isaac Smith, Director of Amici Vaticani, a non-profit cultural association that's designing and commissioning a custom papal tiara for our first American pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.
Click here to learn more and donate to the project: https://www.amicivaticani.org/donate
------Where to find The Popecast:
SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠
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EMAIL: [email protected]
--POPECAST MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
44 min
May 30 A Real Person Reads Pope Leo XIV's Entire Encyclical | Magnifica Humanitas Audiobook
Enough with the AI audio versions of the pope's new encyclical. Those all seemed to rather largely miss the point, so here's a fully human read-through of Pope Leo XIV's brand new encyclical on artificial intelligence, human dignity, integral human development, and so much more.
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READ THE DOCUMENT FOR FREE: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html
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Where to find The Popecast:
SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠
FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠
EMAIL: [email protected]
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POPECAST MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
3 hr 52 min
May 27 Unpacking Pope Leo XIV's New Encyclical | Katie McGrady
Katie McGrady – an author, podcaster, radio host, and Vatican Analyst for CNN – joins the show once again, this time to unpack Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. We get into everything from The Masters to the pontiff quoting Gandalf...maybe as a result of seeing a Katie's tweet? READ THE DOCUMENT: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.htmlFollow Katie:
- Ave Explores Podcast: https://aveexplores.fireside.fm
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/KatiePMcGrady
- Substack: https://katieprejeanmcgrady.substack.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiepmcgrady
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Where to find The Popecast: SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠EMAIL: [email protected] MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
51 min
May 23 Pope Leo in Peru: If He Wasn't a Priest, He Would Have Been a Racecar Driver | Jonathan Liedl
Jonathan Liedl, Managing Editor of the National Catholic Register, joins the show to talk about his on-location documentary about how Pope Leo XIV's nearly two decades in Peru shaped his priesthood, and now his papacy.
WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY: https://youtu.be/ziN1QrXh5vs?si=9zKoxhTHzOT_eXGM
Follow Jonathan: https://x.com/JLLiedl
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Where to find The Popecast:
SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠
FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠
EMAIL: [email protected]
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POPECAST MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
1 hr 14 min
May 08 Where were you when Pope Leo XIV was elected?
On his first anniversary, a reflection on Pope Leo XIV's election as Bishop of Rome. Where were you on that day? What do you remember?
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Where to find The Popecast:
SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast
⁠FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠
EMAIL: [email protected]
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POPECAST MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
33 min
April 02 Lifelong Friends of the First American Pope | John & Polly Snider
Joining the show this week are John and Polly Snider, a Lutheran pastor and wife from Minnesota, who have been friends with Bob Prevost – now known to us as Pope Leo XIV – for over 40 years. Don't miss this episode that's chock full of stories and reflections from the life of the first American pope. --Where to find The Popecast: SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠EMAIL: [email protected] MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
54 min
March 24 Rare Treasures of the Papal Household | Fr. Richard Kunst
Returning once again to the show is Fr. Richard Kunst, curator of the largest private collection of papal artifacts anywhere in the world outside of Rome. We talk all about his huge exhibit at the Mall of America, a signed baseball from Pope Francis getting stolen, and a surprising meeting with some lifelong friends of Pope Leo XIV.
--Event with John & Polly Snider, Friends of Pope Leo XIV: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C6tP4s9uq/Monsignor Joseph Buh, Patriarch of the Diocese of Duluth: https://josephbuh.org--Where to find The Popecast: SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠EMAIL: [email protected]POPECAST MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
40 min
February 05 A Widower Who Became Pope (Clement IV)
It’s safe to say that here in the 21st Century, we’re used to our popes having somewhat predictable backstories: entered the seminary at a young age, slowly rose through the ranks from priest to bishop to cardinal and so on. But centuries ago that wasn’t always the case – some had sordid backstories, fathering illegitimate children and living lives of ill repute, and some simply pursued one vocation only to have it ended suddenly by death. That’s the story of our man today: He was once married and became a father, only to have his wife suddenly die and him soon realize a new calling altogether.
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Where to find The Popecast: SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
VENMO: @thepopecast
YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠
FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠
EMAIL: [email protected] MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
11 min
January 10 History Lessons with a Medievalist Memelord | Dr. Matt Ponesse
Dr. Matt Ponesse – or @medievalistmatt as he's known by so many – is a medieval history professor by day and a world-class memelord over on Instagram by…earlier in the day, as you'll learn in this episode. His calling card is using the marginalia from ancient manuscripts – the little doodles off to the side of the text itself – sometimes irreverent, sometimes just odd, but always hilarious when seen through 21st Century eyes.
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[BOOK] A Canticle for Leibowitz: https://amzn.to/3LFqGa7
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Find @medievalistmatt here (email) and here (Instagram).
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Where to find The Popecast:
SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠
FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠
EMAIL: [email protected]
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POPECAST MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
1 hr 40 min
December 14, 2025 Interviewing the Pope | Elise Ann Allen
A very special guest indeed on this week’s show. I’m joined by Elise Ann Allen, Senior Correspondent for Crux in Rome, who recently conducted the first exclusive, extensive papal interviews of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. Those conversations have been turned into a brand new book from Penguin Random House entitled “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century.”
We talk quite a bit about what it’s like to sit across from the first American pope, the man behind the name, and her impressions on what might be in store in the coming months and years from our new pontiff. I really enjoyed this conversation, so I’m confident you will, as well.
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Get Elise's book on Pope Leo XIV: https://amzn.to/3MyM4Oy
Find Elise's work at Crux: https://cruxnow.com/author/elise-ann-allen--
Where to find The Popecast:
SUPPORT + NEWSLETTER: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://popes.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE: @therealpopecast ⁠FB / Twitter / Instagram: ⁠@thepopecast⁠EMAIL: [email protected] MERCH: ⁠https://the-popecast-store.creator-spring.com
59 min

About The Popecast: A History of the Papacy

From the publisher's feed

The unvarnished, non-boring history of the popes of the Roman Catholic Church – told in a way to remind us that the world and the Church’s problems today have happened plenty of times before.