[A] minor masterpiece which is everything good, popular history ought to be. . . . The most comprehensive single-volume history of the popes in print.-John Adamson, Sunday Telegraph (on the previous edition)
An outstanding work.-Peter Stanford, Daily Telegraph
[T]races the history of the papacy from its humble beginnings . . . with St. Peter, to the distinctly different institution . . . [of] today.-Washington Post Book World
Duffy enlivens the long march through church history with anecdotes that bring the different pontiffs to life. . . . Saints and Sinners is a remarkable achievement.-Piers Paul Read, Times (UK)
A distinguished text . . . offering plenty of historical facts and sobering, valuable judgments.-Henry Chadwick, New York Times Book Review
Will intrigue the faithful as well as the skeptical.-Economist
[A] fine survey of the papacy.-Gary Wills, New York Review of Books
A grand and critical overview of an institution which Duffy believes has been 'on balance a force for human freedom and largeness of spirit'.-Patrick Collins, Times Literary Supplement
This new book offers the most comprehensive one-volume history in English of the popes from ancient times to the pontificate of John Paul II. . . [Duffy's] account is judicious and fair throughout.-Robert Louis Wilken, Commonweal
A compelling introduction to one of the most durable and significant institutions to influence the course of Western civilizations.-Booklist
This is as fair-minded, as full and as interesting a survey as a one-volume history of the papacy can be expected to be. Clear, elegant and lively, the book is very readable. It is a stunning achievement, to be grateful for.-R.A. Markus, The Tablet
An excellent college-level reference.-The Bookwatch
Lively and informative read. . . Duffy peoples his story with real men, and casts interesting, sometimes poignant light on their lives.-Jerry Bartram, Globe and Mail
The history of the papacy is a fascinating study whether you consider it theologically, politically, or economically. Duffy offers a masterful blending of all three in this beautiful book.-Catholic News Service
The story has all the ingredients of a best-seller. Love, lust, nail-biting struggles for power, a passion for goodness, sometimes an almost equal appetite for evil.-Mario Basini, The Western Mail
A wonderful study of heroism and flawed humanity.-John Morrill, Catholic Herald
The narrative is full of charming vignettes. . . deserves to be sipped like good wine.-Thomas Shelley, Church
A wonderful history of the popes . . . a book that will fascinate anyone wishing to better understand the history of the Catholic Church and the forces that have shaped the role of the papacy.-Gloria J. Tysl, Christian Century
Duffy's sprightly and sometimes anecdotal style moves the reader effortlessly through the centuries, highlighting popes whose tenure changed the shape of the papacy.-Donald L. Gelpi, America