POPES OF ROME

In medieval Europe, a pious young woman becomes a scholar of theology, disguises herself as a man, rises through the Catholic Church hierarchy and is elected Pope.

A woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim in the ninth century disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.

In 1458, five years after the fall of Constantinople to the Turk, eighteen cardinals met in Rome to elect a new pope. A 27-year-old Spanish cardinal, Rodrigo Borgia, learns to play a very dangerous game; how to survive his first conclave.

A portrait of the bloody dynasty that spawned a pope, Alexander VI, as well as the role model for Machiavelli's "The Prince," his son Cesare Borgia, and a legend of femme duplicity, daughter Lucrezia Borgia.

In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.

Story of the rise and the fall of the Renaissance dynasty.

The biographical story of Michelangelo's troubles while painting the Sistine Chapel at the urging of Pope Julius II.

Papacy of Pius XII focusing on years during World War Two.

The inspirational story of the jolly cardinal Angelo Roncalli, who looks back at his memories as a poor country priest and is eventually elected pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Angelo Roncalli, born in Sotto Il Monte in 1881, is known for his profound spirituality as well as his extraordinary goodness from the young years of his life. When he feels a need to serve God, Angelo goes to study theology in Bergamo, and in Apollinare School (Rome) and becomes a priest. During his studies, he gets to know his two dearest friends, Mattia and Nicola. Very soon, most people see marvelous talents in him, including his wide knowledge and a constant readiness for sacrifice. The Holy See makes him go further to bishop and cardinal, and the Holy Father sends him to various places as a representative of the Church. When Pius XII dies on October, the 9th, 1958, 77 year-old Angelo goes to Rome, to conclave to choose a new pope. However, this time, it is him who hears gentle words of Jesus "Tu es Petrus!" ("You are Peter!") and from October, the 28th leads the church as Pope John XXIII.

The service of Pope Paul VI presents tremendous challenges for humanity not only in the political, cultural and economic aspects of the world but also in the spiritual life of The Church. Pope Paul VI is the first Pope to be a Missionary Pope, to meet people where they are. To trust in God as he was asking The Church to do and he is given the opportunity to love that trust in its fullness.

The film is a biography of Pope John Paul II. It starts in 1926 when the boy Karol Wojtyla was celebrating Christmas with his father in Poland. Thirteen years later, Nazi Germany attacks Poland, starting World War II and invades the country while Wojtyla seeks refuge at the house of Cardinal Wyszynski. Also appearing are all the other important stations of the life of the Pope, during and after World War II.

Bio-drama tracing the life and career of Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyla from his days as a young activist in Poland, to his rise and installation in 1978 as Pope of the Catholic Church.

Born in Poland, Karol Wojtyla embraces religion and becomes pope, promoting faith and peace around the globe.

The life of the pope John-Paul II, from his youth as a writer, actor, and athlete in war-torn occupied Poland to his election as Pope at the age of 58.

Following the premature death of his mother, Karol Wojtyla is brought up by his father in the Polish city of Krakow during the first half of the 20th century. An outstanding student with a magnetic personality, he dreams of becoming an actor. When his homeland is invaded by the Nazis in 1939, he and his friends secretly oppose the systematic persecution of their Polish culture. But, with the death of his father and the lacerating solitude which accompanies this loss, Karol's personal "resistance" takes on a new form and he decides to follow a priestly vocation. At the end of the war, Poland falls into the grip of Soviet totalitarianism. The newly ordained Karol is constantly surrounded by young people whom he teaches to safeguard and defend human dignity. He could be considered a serious threat to the regime, but the Communist authorities merely see him as an innocuous intellectual and even encourage his nomination for the position of bishop. Karol Wojtila is the youngest bishop in the history of Poland. When he is appointed Cardinal, Karol is more intransigent in the spiritual guidance of his homeland, becoming a real and proper thorn in the side of the Communist government. And the whole Catholic world begins to wonder who he is. On the death of Pope John Paul I in 1978, the cardinals of the Conclave decide that Woytjla is the right man to replace him. Thus Karol leaves his beloved Poland to become Pope John Paul II. His free, unconventional attitude alarms several prelates, but immediately wins the hearts of the people. In an age paralyzed by fear and ideology, the new Pope once again shows everybody the overwhelming fascination of Christianity: this is the beginning of a deep change, which will affect the whole world and the Church itself, as a sort of "contagion". He miraculously survives an attempt on his life in 1981, and not even this event curbs his mission. Thanks to his unshakable tenacity, Pope John Paul II helps to change the course of history: the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 decrees the collapse of Communism. But the Pope does not stop being the voice of Christ, even among the injustices of the capitalistic Western world, and even among the provocations and challenges of modern times. The Great Jubilee of 2000 is the most moving evidence of his mission: 3 million young people in love with the Pope gather in Rome, bringing with them the whole world's hopes. This world has learned to look to him, now old and shaky, as a ray of light in the heart of darkness.

The life of Karol Wojtyla as a young priest and then young bishop in Poland since he becomes the pope.

A look at the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, form his early childhood days in Argentina to his becoming Pope Francis.

After spending decades in a Siberian Gulag labor camp, Roman Catholic priest Kiril Lakota is set free by Russian leader Piotr Ilyich Kamenev at the height of the Cold War.

A story centered on the relationship between the newly elected Pope and his therapist.

The beginning of the pontificate of Lenny Belardo, alias Pius XIII, the first American Pope in history.