Episodios

  • 24. The Attack

    24. The Attack
    Aug 17 2025
    On a crisp April morning in 799, Pope Leo III walked through the streets of Rome leading a religious procession when armed men suddenly burst from the crowd, threw him to the ground, and attempted to gouge out his eyes and slice off his tongue. This brutal assault left Leo bleeding and unconscious, but it would paradoxically lead to the greatest expansion of papal authority in centuries. This episode explores how personal attack became political transformation, setting the stage for the creation of the Holy Roman Empire.
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    11 m
  • Madonna asks Pope Leo to visit Gaza

    Madonna asks Pope Leo to visit Gaza
    Aug 14 2025
    Madonna has penned an emotional appeal to Pope Leo, urging the religious leader to make a pastoral journey to Gaza amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The pop superstar shared her plea through social media on Monday, as the conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas continues to escalate.
    In her open letter, Madonna wrote, "Your Holiness, I implore you to travel to Gaza and offer hope to the suffering children while there is still time. As someone who has raised children, witnessing their anguish is unbearable. Every child on this earth deserves our protection. You possess a unique authority that transcends political boundaries."

    The entertainer emphasized the critical need for expanded humanitarian access, declaring, "The gates of mercy must swing wide open to rescue these vulnerable young souls. Time is running short. I beg you to commit to this mission."
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    7 m
  • 23. Monks and Missionaries - The Papacy's Expansion North

    23. Monks and Missionaries - The Papacy's Expansion North
    Aug 10 2025
    From Rome's ancient center, a new papal strategy emerges through monastic missionaries dispatched to Europe's pagan frontiers. This episode follows how Pope Gregory the Great's vision of northern evangelization, tensions between Irish and Roman Christian models, and Boniface's systematic organization of Germanic churches fundamentally reoriented papal priorities. The culminating alliance with the Franks, marked by Pope Stephen II's historic Alpine crossing, transformed the papacy from Mediterranean institution to a power increasingly looking north for its future.


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    Thanks to our sponsor https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Happiness-Experiment/Carl-B-Barney/9798886452891
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    18 m
  • World's Most Popular Leader, Pope Leo, gets a pizza handed to him

    World's Most Popular Leader, Pope Leo, gets a pizza handed to him
    Aug 7 2025
    Pope Leo XIV just topped global popularity polls while receiving epic pizza deliveries at the Vatican! Discover how America's first pope became the world's most beloved leader with a staggering 57% approval rating, crushing everyone from Elon Musk to world politicians. This episode dives deep into the incredible story of how devoted Catholics smuggled his favorite Aurelio's deep-dish pizza from Chicago to Rome, surviving van breakdowns, TSA drama, and a dramatic rescue from a Roman trash can. This former Peru missionary resonates with millions, from blessing Pokemon cards to hosting record-breaking youth gatherings, while maintaining his love for hometown comfort food.


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    8 m
  • 22. The Barbarian Popes - Leading a Church in the Post-Roman World

    22. The Barbarian Popes - Leading a Church in the Post-Roman World
    Aug 3 2025
    When the last Western Roman Emperor was deposed in 476 CE, the papacy faced an existential crisis. This episode examines how popes from Simplicius to Gregory the Great transformed potential catastrophe into institutional opportunity, preserving Roman administrative traditions while forging diplomatic relationships with new barbarian rulers. Gelasius I's "two swords" doctrine, the complex navigation between Constantinople and Ostrogothic Italy, and Gregory's practical governance innovations reveal how the papacy reimagined itself for a post-Roman world.



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    Thanks to our sponsor https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Happiness-Experiment/Carl-B-Barney/9798886452891
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    16 m
  • The Pope's Barber

    The Pope's Barber
    Jul 31 2025
    Mario Reyes, a thirty seven year old barber from Ica, Peru, has been working near the Vatican walls for three years. His barbershop computer contains client records, and among his regular customers was someone listed simply as Robert Francis Prevost.



    Become a premium subscriber! (no ads and no feed drops). For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which says UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. You also get 25+ other series from comedy to paranormal, royals, romance, trivia, politics, movies, music, murder, sports, travel, religion, spirituality, celebrity gossip and feuds, consisting of THOUSANDS OF SHOWS AD-FREE! (it’s only $4.99 a month with a free-trial month) PLUS, subscribers get offers like early show releases and subscriber-only shows. Go to Caloroga.com for all our shows!
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    10 m
  • 21. Theology and Power - The Papacy After Constantine

    21. Theology and Power - The Papacy After Constantine
    Jul 27 2025
    As Christianity became the empire's favored religion, theological debates took on political dimensions. This episode explores how popes from Julius I to Damasus I navigated the Arian controversy that divided the 4th-century church while developing more explicit theories of Roman primacy. The imprisoned Pope Liberius, the violent election of Damasus, and the emerging concept of papal decretals reveal how doctrinal conflicts shaped institutional authority in lasting ways as the papacy claimed both theological leadership and administrative power.


    To become a premium subscriber (no ads and no feed drops) visit caloroga.com/plus. For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which seays UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. You also get 25+ other shows on the network ad-free!



    Thanks to our sponsor https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Happiness-Experiment/Carl-B-Barney/9798886452891
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    21 m
  • The Pope Plays Piano—and Has Celebrity Cousins

    The Pope Plays Piano—and Has Celebrity Cousins
    Jul 24 2025
    Turns out Pope Leo is a classically trained pianist with a taste for Bartók. We learn about his musical past, his remarkable high school years, and his deeply moving genealogy session with Henry Louis Gates Jr., which revealed distant ties to Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, and even Hillary Clinton. Later, artisans prepare to add Pope Leo’s mosaic to the legendary portrait wall at Saint Paul Outside the Walls—reviving an ancient end-times superstition.Portions of this program were made with the help of AI. While no one truly knows what happens behind closed doors, we've tried our best to capture the story, taking dramatic license when necessary to create this entertainment series based on true events.



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    Thanks to our sponsor https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Happiness-Experiment/Carl-B-Barney/9798886452891
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    8 m