The Papacy has a very long history

It’s quite simple really. There have been nine Popes named Boniface. There was Pope Boniface 1, who was a contemporary of St Augustine of Hippo, the author of the Confessions and also a discourse on The Trinity etc.; Boniface 1 was Pope from December 418 to September 422; and there was Pope Boniface 1X; he was Pope from November 1389 to October 1404; in between there were seven Popes named Boniface. As you can see, the Papacy has a long history, stretching back 2000 years to its foundation by Jesus Christ, and, in between, there have been hundreds of Popes; the Rev Foster’s first name, Ivan, also called John, is well represented among them (St John XX111 was a much loved Pope in the 20th century); my first name, Micheal, hasn’t yet made the grade to the Papacy; however an Archangel is called Micheal who is defender of the Catholic Church.

A beautiful prayer to St. Micheal was brought into use by Pope Leo X111 in 1886.

Micheal O’Cathail, Fermanagh