In the Courts of Three Popes

An American Lawyer and Diplomat in the Last Absolute Monarchy of the West

By: Mary Ann Glendon

Narrated by: Julie-Ann Elliott

A rare firsthand account of the three popes who worked to modernize the Catholic Church—and to evangelize the modern world—from a renowned international lawyer, Harvard law professor, and former ambassador to the Vatican

“Mary Ann Glendon’s book joyfully, and with humility, brings us inside her deft, grace-filled, and brilliant public diplomacy career.”—Mike Pompeo, former U.S. secretary of state

For twenty centuries, the Catholic Church has radically shaped world history—and survived it. In the decades following the Second Vatican Council, three popes have carried forward this legacy, striving to lead the Church and its governing body—the last absolute monarchy of the West—into the modern world.

With In the Courts of Three Popes, accomplished diplomat, international lawyer, and Harvard professor Mary Ann Glendon gives listeners a rare inside look at the papacies of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. She shares her role in key developments in the Church’s recent history, like the Church entering the third millennium, in Pope John Paul II’s words, on its knees in penance for failures such as clergy sex abuse, or in leading the way for lay women to hold positions of power in the Church. Glendon illuminates the issues vexing the Church today: the place of faith in secular politics, relating the Church to other religions, clericalism and the power of laypeople, and corruption at the Vatican Bank and within the Roman Curia.

Glendon provides a one-of-a-kind analysis of the inner workings of the Holy See, showing listeners that, despite its many failings, the Catholic Church is a living, breathing community. Behind the Church’s doctrines and policies and institutions lie people, personalities, aspirations, and relationships that still promise to transform lives.

©2024 Mary Ann Glendon (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Mary Ann Glendon’s book joyfully, and with humility, brings us inside her deft, grace-filled, and brilliant public diplomacy career. Few lay Catholics have done more to use the tools of public diplomacy to improve our nation and God’s kingdom. This book is a beautiful primer for all entering the arena with the goal of faithfully serving, as Glendon has done for decades.” —Mike Pompeo, former U.S. secretary of state

“Very often we think of diplomacy and the Vatican as secretive and mysterious. Not anymore! Ambassador Glendon explains a lot in this illuminative and enjoyable book. She makes us all ‘insiders.’” —Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York

“A beautifully written account of one woman’s experience that helps us understand Rome’s strange machinery of governance . . . But this book is more than a study of the West’s last absolute monarchy. Glendon casts fresh light on the many joys and frustrations of the Catholic experience since the Second Vatican Council.” —R. R. Reno, editor of First Things

Insightful and well done

Fast moving. Very insightful Narration is wonderful and succeeds in achieving an enjoyable and informative outcome.