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Today in Papal History

2,000 years of history. 267 popes. Find out what the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church were doing on any given day down through the centuries.

Newsletter · By Matthew Sewell · English · Paid tier available · Official site

Indexed issues, last 90 days
4
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Sep 8, 2026
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Aug 20, 2026

Latest issues

  1. Issue · Sep 8, 2026

    The pope, the patron saint of hunters, and...the Jägermeister logo? (opens the original)

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    701 A.D.Today in Papal History marks the death of Pope St. Sergius I, the 84th Bishop of Rome, who had served for nearly a decade and a half at the end of the 7th Century. He’s the reason for the Agnus Dei being included in the Catholic Mass as the consecrated Host is broken on the altar, but he’s also famous for a story that includes the future patron saint of hunters, St. Hubert. <a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!caBC!,f_auto,q_auto:good

  2. Issue · Sep 3, 2026

    Was St. Gregory the Great writing 1500 years ago, or yesterday? (opens the original)

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    Today in Papal History marks the Roman Catholic feast day of Pope Gregory I, more commonly known now as St. Gregory the Great, who reigned as the 63rd Successor of St. Peter from 590-604 A.D.I’ve written extensively elsewhere about the life of St. Gregory, so today’s installment will take on different approach to appreciating the “great” Doctor of the Church. One of the hallmarks of Gregory’s life was one of radical surrender to God, which he hoped would mean he would be allowed a life of monast

  3. Issue · Aug 26, 2026

    The shortest papacy in 370 years begins (opens the original)

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    1978 A.D.Following the death of Pope St. Paul VI on August 6, 1978, the cardinals of the Catholic Church gathered in Rome to elect St. Peter’s next successor, entering the conclave on August 25. The next day – Today in Papal History – they settled on Albino Luciani, the cardinal archbishop of Venice, a man of humble origins who had spent much of the past decade shirking the traditional trappings of his Venetian office, opting instead for only those public events that raised money for the poor, a

  4. Issue · Aug 20, 2026

    The death of two holy Popes Pius (opens the original)

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    1823 A.D.Today in Papal History marks the date that Servant of God Pope Pius VII, the 250th successor of St. Peter, died at the age of 81.His papacy was one of the longest in history and contained many illustrious accomplishments – vocally opposing the slave trade, restoring the Jesuit Order to good standing, and once reportedly even levitating during Mass in 1811 – but he is easily known for his battle of wits with Napoleon Bonaparte before, during, and after the diminutive emperor’s overthrow

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