In 2013, he appeared live on Fox as the lead analyst for the election of Pope Francis. Dr. Moynihan in his lectures often discusses the modern crisis of the Church in its historical context. During his two and a half decades as editor of Inside the Vatican, he interviewed the future Pope Benedict — then Cardinal Ratzinger — more than 25 times. His book The Spiritual Vision of Pope Benedict XVI: Let God’s Light Shine Forth, has been praised by many in the Catholic world, including the late Father Benedict Groeschel, who said, “If you only read one book on Pope Benedict XVI, then read Bob Moynihan’s book!” In 2013, Dr. Moynihan’s book on Benedict’s successor, Pope Francis, Pray for Me: The Life and Spiritual Vision of Pope Francis, the First Pope from the Americas, was published by Random House.

His book, Guarding the Flame: The Challenges Facing the Church in the Twenty-First Century, a conversation with Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, was published by Tan Books in 2019.  Here, for the first time in one place, the cardinal speaks forthrightly about the need to “guard the flame” of the traditional Christian faith in the face of all temptations and obstacles. Guarding the Flame is a courageous call to remain faithful to the faith handed down from the Apostles, whatever the cost. 

Dr. Moynihan’s newest book, FINDING VIGANO: The Search for the Man Whose Testimony Shook the Church and the World, published in 2020, sold out in its first printing in a few weeks. In it, Dr. Moynihan illuminates the reasons behind the archbishop’s 2018 earth-shattering “Testimony” as well as drawing an arresting picture of the man Viganò, with whom he conducted recorded conversations in an undisclosed location for several days in 2019. 

Dr. Moynihan’s widely-read Moynihan Letters are received in the inboxes of more than 20,000 readers around the world.  Click on the banner below to be taken to the Moynihan Letters site, where you can sign up for these periodic emails. (*Please note that we take privacy very seriously and do not sell email addresses to third parties.)

Dr. Moynihan earned his B.A. in English Literature, magna cum laude, from Harvard College (1977), and his M.A. (1983) and Ph.D. in Medieval studies (1988) from Yale University. His thesis title was The Influence of Joachim of Fiore on the Early Franciscans: A study of the commentary Super Hieremiam (On Jeremiah). Other research fields included: History of Christianity, the Later Roman Empire and the Age of Chaucer. Dr. Moynihan also received a Diploma in Latin Letters from the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy (1986).

Besides being a church historian and well-known Vaticanist, he is an engaging leader of pilgrimages to some of Christendom’s most important and holiest sites.