July 2026
The Black Book of Catholicism. 100 Greatest Crimes of the Church
For two millennia, the Catholic Church has played a major role in the history of Europe and the world. A spiritual institution to some, it was to others a powerful political actor involved in conflicts, persecutions, and scandals that have left a lasting mark on history.
This book offers a well-documented exploration of one hundred particularly dark episodes in the history of the Catholic Church, presented in chronological order from Late Antiquity to the contemporary era.
Each chapter presents:
- a specific historical event;
- the political and religious context;
- an estimate of victims where possible;
- an original illustration accompanying the text.
The objective is not to attack individual faith, but to examine the institutional history of the Church using the tools of historical inquiry and rational critique.
Structure
The book consists of 100 short chapters, each devoted to a specific event or period, for example:
- the crusades against „heretics” in medieval Europe;
- Inquisition trials and religious persecutions;
- the execution of Giordano Bruno and the condemnation of Galileo;
- the collaboration of certain church hierarchies with authoritarian regimes;
- contemporary scandals related to sexual abuse within the Church.
Each chapter forms an independent unit, making the book accessible to the general public while remaining grounded in solid documentation.
Editorial Positioning
The book follows in the tradition of critical historical works such as:
- The Black Book of Communism
- Sodoma (In the Closet of the Vatican) by Frédéric Martel
- Atheist Manifesto (Traité d’athéologie) by Michel Onfray
It is aimed at a readership interested in:
- the critical history of religions;
- contemporary debates on secularism;
- the political and cultural history of Europe.
Target Audience
- readers of historical and political essays;
- audiences interested in debates on religion and secularism;
- students and readers of popular history.
Estimated Length
296 pages, richly illustrated.
Below you will find a video showing what the Polish edition of this book looks like: