The Next Pope
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How the Successor to John Paul II Will be Elected and Where He Will Lead The Church
by Peter Hebblethwaite
(Revised and Updated by Margaret Hebblethwaite)
Overview
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Who will be the next pope? With the waning health of John Paul II, that question is being hotly debated around the world. The answer has profound implications not only for the future direction of Catholicism, but also for the course of world politics and culture. This timely guide, completely revised and updated, offers an inside look at the top contenders, whose remarkable diversity—with several African, Asian, European, and North American cardinals, two Jesuits, a Jewish convert, and several Italians leading the list—reflects how dramatically the Church has changed in the past forty years.
The authors, who have closely observed some of the Church's key leaders, provide a compelling, behind-the-scenes look at the dramatic process of electing a pope. They evaluate the political maneuvering, examine the issues sure to influence the next conclave's decision (including the need for a skilled diplomat and a return to choosing an Italian, the ordination of women, and the question of married priests), and project the most likely successors to John Paul II. After demystifying this fascinating yet notoriously secretive process, the Hebblethwaites use their expertise to identify the basic options—to pursue a moderate or a conservative course—that will face the conclave.
My thoughts
I actually read this book a few years ago and either loaned it out or ... gasp! ... misplaced it. In any case, I wanted to re-read it to prepare myself for the historic events that will occur when the successor to Pope John Paul II is elected. I was surprised to see that the book has been revised. The author, Peter Hebblethwaite, passed away as the original book hit the bookshelves. The revisions were written by his widow.
For those of you like me who don't understand all there is to understand about Catholicism, this is an insightful book. It describes events of past conclaves, what's likely to be different in the next conclave, and who the likely candidates will be. It pulls no punches.
As much as I would like to keep the book as a reference, I'm passing it along to a friend. I'll probably be buying my own copy again soon! (I know myself all too well!)
Favorite Passage
This isn't my favorite passage by any means, but this is indicative of the nature of the book:
For all practical purposes the candidates are the cardinals. In theory they could elect someone who was not a cardinal, even someone who was not a bishop, or even a priest, so long as he was male and therefore thought capable of being ordained to the priesthood and episcopacy (this is what happened in Frederick Rolfe's novel Hadrian VII). But in practice a candidate would need to be inside the conclave where the electors can have a good look at each other and be swayed this way and that: the election of someone outside the conclave is impractical.
This means that out of the 156 cardinals, we can straightaway stike off all the cardinals who will be over eighty at the turn of the millennium. (From now on, all ages will be given in relation to this date of January 1, 2000.) Quite apart from being too old to do the job, they will not be inside the conclave. This brings our list down by nearly one-third. The best known of these old men include Paolo Dezza (ninety-eight), who is almost as old as the century and who was controversially imposed on the Jesuits in 1981 when John Paul II wanted to alter the line taken by the saintly Jesuit General Pedro Arrupe. Another well-known over-eighty-year-old is the Irish Cahal Brendan Daly (eighty-two), foe of the IRA during some of the worst years of the troubles in Northern Ireland.
