The Third Millennium

This final chapter brings the story of the Vatican from the Middle Ages to the present and into the future. It begins with the struggle against Protestantism waged by Pope Paul III, a battle which begat one of the most infamous chapters in Church history, the Congregation of Roman Inquisition. Sir Peter introduces you to Galileo, the scientific genius forced to recant his beliefs on pain of death. See the Vatican's rigid stance almost bring about its demise, and witness the controversial "reconciliation" of Mussolini and Pope Pius XI. Finally, meet Pope John Paul II, the Pontiff whose popularity and activism have set the stage for the next millennium.