Jesus Wept

Named a Best Book of 2025 So Far by The New Yorker and The Economist

“With sharp portrayals of the last seven men who have served as supreme pontiffs, Jesus Wept delivers a compelling recent history of the 2,000-year-old institution whose leaders reach for heaven but often fall spectacularly, sadly, into the morass of mortal fallibility . . . Nothing is spared.” —Mary Jo McConahay, The New York Times Book Review

“A fleet and vivid new history of the papacy in the mass-media age . . . The narrative is alive, intricate, and reliable . . . The depth of Shenon’s reporting, combined with his narrative’s strict observance of chronology, gives fresh emphasis to material lost in the churn of the news cycle.” —The New Yorker

“Gripping and damning.” —The Economist

“Lively . . . [A] crisp account . . . Popes are people, too, and one strength of Jesus Wept is that it shows them as such.” —Cullen Murphy, Air Mail

“An impressive overview of the Catholic Church told in a neat, nuanced narrative that captures its triumphs along with its abysmal failures.” —Teddy Duncan Jr., Washington Independent Review of Books

“Gripping. . . . a sweeping chronicle of the seven popes since the Second World War, starting with Pius XII and ending with Francis. It’s rich in narrative detail and will engross both neophytes and cognoscenti.” —Literary Review

“Tragedy and hope vie for thematic supremacy in Philip Shenon’s [Jesus Wept], a highly readable, character-driven narrative following seven convulsive decades within the papacy, Vatican and global church. . . . [Shenon] goes deeper into the personalities, flaws and psychodynamics of church officials than most writers attempt.” —Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter

“Jesus Wept is a remarkable achievement. . . . A romping good read, cleverly constructed to thread together the lives of the popes. . . . It is the fruit of years of research, which shows serious engagement with the work of major figures in history and theology. . . . Jesus Wept offers a good drone’s-eye view. I got into it, and profited from it.” —Austen Ivereigh, Tablet

“The result of prodigious research, Shenon’s book is endlessly fascinating, insightful, and brilliantly told. Even at its significant length, it is always interesting and highly readable, and Shenon’s final analysis is inarguably a marvel.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A detailed, well-researched, and quite frankly epic examination of the Roman Catholic popes of living memory . . . [Shenon’s] assessments are honest and, at times, brutal . . . Apologists for the church will doubtlessly find plenty of reason to argue with Shenon, but he also gives them a great deal of material to defend. An extraordinary accomplishment: controversial, but crucial for discussions in today’s Catholic Church.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Insightful . . . Beginning with the reign of Pope Pius XII and the aftermath of World War II, the book explores the personalities, politics, and conflicts that marked each pope’s reign . . . Contributions from top theologians about the roles that various women played in papal households add considerable depth and detail to the stories of the popes.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“[Shenon] paints a richly detailed portrait of a complex, hierarchical, and secretive institution as it grappled with a modernizing world.” —Publishers Weekly

“This excellent new book by investigative journalist Philip Shenon confirms that the popes ignored abuse and protected abusers every way they could—in the United States and across the world.” —Leslie C. Griffin, Verdict