Through persecution and slander, through the onslaught of barbarians, through social and economic upheavals, the papacy has witnessed and shared in the whole drama of Western civilization-still the center of unity of the Catholic Church. This brief history highlights the papacy during the main periods of European history, stressing its divine foundation, its role in Christianizing Europe, its relations with states, and its attitudes toward various movements such as feudalism, the Renaissance, the Reformation, absolutism, liberalism and totalitarianism. It brings into sharp relief the durability and strength of the papacy through the centuries.