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Ten Popes who Shook the WorldEpisodes

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  1. John Paul II

    10/10John Paul II has been criticised for holding inflexible theological and moral positions.

  2. John XXIII

    9/10John XXIII reigned for less than five years but his impact on the Church was far-reaching.

  3. Pius XII

    8/10Pius XII's response to the Second World War has dogged his reputation.

  4. Pius IX

    7/10Pius IX locked the Catholic Church into a confrontation with the modern world.

  5. Paul III

    6/10Paul III laid the foundations for the Counter Reformation.

  6. Innocent III

    5/10Innocent III was an aristocrat, yet his energy breathed new life into Europe.

  7. Hildebrand

    4/10The eleventh-century monk Hildebrand rose to become one of the greatest Popes in history.

  8. Gregory the Great

    3/10The papacy of Gregory the Great in the sixth century marked a shift in Christian history.

  9. Leo the Great

    2/10The fifth-century Pope Leo the Great virtually invented the papacy as we know it.

  10. St Peter

    1/10The oriental beginnings of Christianity and the figure of St Peter.