Charles A. Coulombe – författare

With Arthurian grandeur the Papal Zouaves marched into Italy in the mid-nineteenth century, summoned by the Pope under siege as the Wars of the Risorgimento raged. Motivated by wanderlust, a sense of duty and the call of faith, some 20,000 Catholic men from around the world rallied to Vatican City to defend her gates against Sardinian marauders. Volunteers came from France, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Austria, and many other countries, including the United States. The battles that ensued lasted over 10 years, among a shifting array of allies and enemies and are among history's most fascinating yet largely overlooked episodes. Napoleon, Pius IX, and Bismarck all make appearances in the story, but at the center were the Zouaves - steeped in a knightly code of honor, and unflinching in battle as any modern warrior - as the Church they vowed to defend to the death teetered at the brink of destruction.

A concise account of one of the most epic developments in the modern Catholic church—the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict XVI''s precedent-shattering announcement that he would renounce the Papacy—the first Pope to do so in 600 years—touched off a firestorm of speculation and commentary throughout the world''s media and the blogosphere. But much of this ocean of opinion is just plain wrong, because of the complex nature of the Papacy and the Church. Written by a renowned Papal historian, journalist, and lecturer—who also sits on the board of the Queen of Angels Foundation and serves as a delegate for the International Monarchist League—The Legacy of Pope Benedict XVI gives you solid, inside information to make up your own mind on one of the most epic developments ever to shake the modern world, a radical change in course for the planet''s largest religion.