LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Popes: History
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For nearly two millennia the Popes have not only shaped the course of one of the world's great religions but have ... played a part—sometimes a dominant one—in the history of Europe. Chronicle of the Popes examines the lives, deeds, and misdeeds of the 264 Popes from St. Peter to John Paul II.
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[This is only a brief overview of what popes have said about Limbo. For a fuller discussion of the history of the Limbo heresy, see Unbaptized Infants Suffer Fire and Limbo is a Heretical Pelagian Fable.]
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Some popes may reign for extraordinarily long times while others may only serve for a few days, but in the end all die and a new pope must be elected. But how are popes chosen? It's a process that seems shrouded in secrecy and history; the details of any particular election are supposed to be kept hidden, but general information about the typical process is indeed known.
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When he was elected, in 1978—the so-called "year of three popes"—John Paul, fifty-eight, was the youngest pope in modern history. When he died, at eighty-four, he seemed beyond age, like a biblical patriarch. In the obituaries the early photographs showing his strong jaw and straight back came as a shock; it was hard to remember that he had ever walked normally, much less skied or stood up to the Soviets. Parkinson's disease, a hip replacement, fatigue, and old age had ravaged him more profoundly than the public knew.
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