Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: Good overview of the history of the Papacy

William La Due's history of the papacy is an enlightening read. Because it deals honestly with both the good and the bad in that history it will not appeal to those who have a particular axe to grind. It will not appeal to fundamentalist Protestants who want to demonize the Pope, nor will it appeal to modern obscurantist Roman Catholics who tend to gloss over significant historical details in their ongoing historical revisionism. La Due has done the Roman Catholic Church a favor by being honest with the historical evidence.In an irenic and scholarly manner, La Due examines the development of the papacy from the first century up to today. He places the Popes in their historical context and reveals how quite often the development of the papacy was more the result of political and economic factors than any theological or ecclesiastical concerns.An excellent piece of historical research.