Part I. Revolution and revival, 1789-1870. Revolution : In France and around the world ; Revival : Devotions, miracles, and the papacy ; Democracy : How Catholicism fostered and inhibited democratic revolutions ; Triumph : 1848, Vatican I and the consolidation of the Catholic revival

Part II. The milieu and its discontents, 1870-1962. Milieu : Why nationalists attacked Catholics and how Catholics responded ; Empire : Missionaries, converts, and imperialism ; Nation : A Catholic nationalism? ; Crisis : The politics of the 1930s ; Ressourcement : Opening the milieu ; Decolonization : A Catholic global south

Part III. Vatican II and its aftermath, 1962-2021. Vatican II : A church transformed ; Liberation : Freedom and human rights in the 1970s ; Exodus : Sex, gender, and turmoil ; Charisma : John Paul II and the end of the Cold War ; Sexual abuse (and its cover-up)

Conclusion: Pope Francis and beyond.