With 1.2 billion members, the Catholic Church is one of the world’s oldest institutions and has played a crucial part in the development of Western civilization. But in its rise from Jewish sect to global faith, it has been both the persecuted and the persecutor; it has become powerful but guilty of corruption; and it has preached moral purity but has been marred by abuse scandals. Illustrated with 180 photographs, paintings, and illustrations, “Dark History of the Catholic Church” reveals the infamous underside of the Christian faith.