a better version of oneself and the reality around us and the Church herself. Paradoxically, what was intended to weaken or even destroy the faith became an impulse for its spread. Crisis became the cause of consolidation and development. And so, over the centuries, the Church has faced crises caused by schisms, divisions, unsuitable people in ecclesiastical offices, as well as challenges posed by the surrounding world, political systems and conflicts of human origin. Owing to this publication, the reader will be able to learn about various types of crises and challenges in order to draw conclusions from them, to appreciate the history of the Church through a better knowledge thereof, and all this in order to create a better future. The subject of the book concerns crises and challenges during various periods in the history of the Church up until modern times, including the crisis caused by the Second World War or communism in Central and Eastern Europe.