Maybe I learned it when the King of France appointed the French Popes..
Maybe how Reagen working with the Pope and church to end communism or how the church and government help in WWII and through the French revolution.
Is your point that the church in its 1,000 of years of history is not connected - both good and bad.
My point was power always tries to keep the people down no matter who it is.
Nearly 2,000 years, Einstein, or, is that really you, Cliff?
You know, I used to puzzle at how the anti-Catholics will use any uninvestigated or shabbily investigated story, any straw man, any ambiguity or any outright lie to attack the Catholic Church with. I don't wonder anymore, I just accept that the Church will always be attacked, and she will always prevail.
Now I hear that the Kings of France "appointed" the Popes and those Popes likewise oppressed the people; I just love it. Normally I hear just the opposite from the Pope haters, that the Kings of Europe were subject to the Popes and did all sorts of evil at the Popes' command. You can't have it both ways, but go right ahead anway, you'll just find out one day how paranoid and ignorant you really are.
And did Pope JPII have a big hand in bringing down the Soviet Empire? Yes! He traveled to Poland and other Soviet satellites and the people came out in massive crowds everywhere he went to hear him speak of human rights and dignity. This emboldened those people to push back against Soviet force, eventually bringing an end to the Soviet Empire. And Pope JPII "oppressed the masses" how?