Eamon Duffy is Reader in Church History in the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College. He is the author of The Stripping of the Altars and Saints and Sinners, a history of the popes, both published by Yale University Press. Also by this author The Diplomat Get Commonweal’s latest, delivered twice weekly. Email address Published in the November 5, 2004 issue: View Contents Recommended for you A Presidential Smash and Grab By The Editors May 21, 2026 ‘As an Emerald Is Green’ By Ellen Wayland-Smith May 25, 2026 ‘The Real Thing’ By Anthony Domestico May 19, 2026