The Next Pope

Watch the Highlights Video of the June 24 live panel discussion from Rome.??????? When Pope Francis' pontificate has passed, it's very likely that one of the nineteen cardinals featured in these pages will be elected to become the next Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics and the most influential and widely respected moral and religious figure in the world. Yet outside the Vatican walls, despite the considerable roles that some of these men play in the Church and in the world, few of them are known by the public — or even by their brother cardinals. Hence this book, an engrossing and thoroughly documented instrument through which a future pope may be known

Hebblethwaite profiles the most likely candidates for the papacy and reveals the intricate and highly politicized process by which the college of cardinals will choose among them. Reviewing trends that have shaped previous elections, he then examines the issues that will influence the next conclave's decision, including ordination of women. 8-page photo insert. National ads/media.

This fascinating history of papal politicking over the past 150 years includes an in-depth examination of the most likely candidates for the papacy after John Paul II.

Once Pope Francis can no longer serve, it's almost certain that one of the nineteen cardinals featured in these pages will be called by God to become the next pope, the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics and the most influential and widely respected moral and religious figure in the world. Yet outside the Vatican walls, despite the considerable roles that some of these men play in the Church and in the world, few of them are known by the public or even by their brother cardinals! Hence this book, an engrossing and thoroughly documented tool by which a future pope may be known in that sphere that matters most - namely, his life and service first as a priest and then as a bishop. Written in charity and truth by Edward Pentin, the National Catholic Register's longtime Rome correspondent, these encyclopedic pages present you with the results of years of research by a respected team of international scholars.

"Papal elections are easily the oldest surviving of electoral processes. The current sequestered form, i.e., within a conclave, dates back, uninterrupted, to 1294. The next election will be the seventy-fourth in this sequence. Historical longevity, with its inevitable repertoire of accumulated drama, though entralling, is but just one of the facets that make papal elections so captivating. The dignified pomp as red-clad cardinals solemnly congregate in Rome, the obstinate obfuscation as to who is in the running to be the next pope, and the eagerly awaited color-coded smoke signals [sfumata] are matchless and enduring. Even the urn that serves as the ballot box is a bona fide work of art by a well known Italian sculptor, in silver and gilded bronze, with an abstract depiction of the 'Good Shepherd' gracing the top of the tilting lid. Thus, to say that papal elections are unique is an understatement of considerable magnitude, hence, the potential to fascinate. That is where 'The Next Pope' comes in. It deals, unstintingly, with the traditions, the norms, the papabili, the rituals, the dynamics, the politics, the mechanics, the laws, the precedents and the pertinent history of papal elections. This handbook will, therefore, both stoke and satisfy the reader's fascination as to how the next pope will come to be elected"--Page 4 of cover

A New York Times columnist and one of America’s leading conservative thinkers considers Pope Francis’s efforts to change the church he governs in a book that is “must reading for every Christian who cares about the fate of the West and the future of global Christianity” (Rod Dreher, author of The Benedict Option). Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936, today Pope Francis is the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis’s stewardship of the Church, while perceived as a revelation by many, has provoked division throughout the world. “If a conclave were to be held today,” one Roman source told The New Yorker, “Francis would be lucky to get ten votes.” In his “concise, rhetorically agile…adroit, perceptive, gripping account (The New York Times Book Review), Ross Douthat explains why the particular debate Francis has opened—over communion for the divorced and the remarried—is so dangerous: How it cuts to the heart of the larger argument over how Christianity should respond to the sexual revolution and modernity itself, how it promises or threatens to separate the church from its own deep past, and how it divides Catholicism along geographical and cultural lines. Douthat argues that the Francis era is a crucial experiment for all of Western civilization, which is facing resurgent external enemies (from ISIS to Putin) even as it struggles with its own internal divisions, its decadence, and self-doubt. Whether Francis or his critics are right won’t just determine whether he ends up as a hero or a tragic figure for Catholics. It will determine whether he’s a hero, or a gambler who’s betraying both his church and his civilization into the hands of its enemies. “A balanced look at the struggle for the future of Catholicism…To Change the Church is a fascinating look at the church under Pope Francis” (Kirkus Reviews). Engaging and provocative, this is “a pot-boiler of a history that examines a growing ecclesial crisis” (Washington Independent Review of Books).

"Francis, rebuild my Church!" That is how St. Francis of Assisi heard the call of Christ. It is also how Jorge Mario Bergoglio, at the age of 76, and a Jesuit, seems to have accepted his election to the papacy with the choice of a name that no other pope has ever chosen. Who is Pope Francis, elected in one of the shortest conclaves in history? Who is the man chosen to be the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope? How does he see the world and his ministry? How does he understand his call to serve Christ, his Church, and the world? In short, what is the mind and heart of this new pope of a new world--of the Americas and the rest of the world of the 21st Century? In the words, the ideas, and the personal recollections of Pope Francis--including material up to the final hours before his election--the most highly regarded Vatican observer on the international scene reveals the personality of this man of God, gentle and humble. The son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, he made radically following Christ and the way of non-violence the pillars of his pastoral ministry in a country, continually tormented by social and economic inequities. This complete biography offers the keys to understanding the man who was a surprise choice, even a kind of revolutionary choice, for pope. It is the story of the humble pastor of one of the world's largest archdioceses; a cardinal who takes the bus, talks with common folk, and lives simply. It is the story of why the cardinal electors of the Catholic Church set aside political and diplomatic calculations to elect a pope to lead the renewal and purification of the worldwide Church of our time.

An updated version of the compelling guide by award-winning author Greg Tobin. Tobin reveals all the rules and rituals involved in the secretive process of electing the pope, along with the rich history of the conclave and the key concerns that will shape the future of the Catholic Church. This edition features new information on the death and funeral of John Paul II, a revised and up-to-the-minute "Issues" section, and coverage of Pope Benedict’s most recent trip to the US, as well as a discussion of his relationship to the Islamic world. Plus, Tobin offers some thoughts on who the next pope might be, examining the potential contenders and hazarding some predictions.