I felt like I was in the middle of the Conclave and actually meeting and greeting the other Cardinals, meditating, plotting and participating in history. This is a book about the election of a new Pope and it takes place during a Conclave, which is a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals who are secluded continuously within the walls of the Vatican during the election process. Upon borrowing this novel, I expected another conspiracy theory regarding the death of the pope and action-packed thriller. No, a month – 17 September, to be exact, after the Mass to commemorate the Impression of the Stigmata upon Saint Francis – the longest period he had gone without a private audience since the Pope had been elected.

That feels a little disingenuous, considering that the pontiff found dead in the opening chapter is discovered in the Casa Santa Marta, the hostel built by John Paul II to house cardinals during any future election. It begins with the death of the pope who is a unnamed Then the Vatican political machine goes into full throttle to prepare to select a new pope. The conclave of the title takes place after the death of a fictional Pope, but one with some resemblance to Pope Francis. I have no idea if Harris shapes his books as he proceeds – like a potter at the wheel – or if he works from some complex set of outlines and notes. It starts off well with an interesting premise about the conclave, but half way through it features an unnecessary nasty act and the end didn't feel clever so much as political.

CONCLAVE is a compelling behind the scenes narrative of a hypothetical 2022 election for a new Roman Catholic pontiff from the perspective of Jacopo Lomeli, the dean of the College of Cardinals and the man responsible for presiding over the conclave, a man who is going to attract votes in spite of his adamant insistence that he has neither the strength or the ability to be a pope. m. when Cardinal Lomeli is hurried through the dark walkways of the Vatican to the Pope’s bedroom, whispering prayers as he hastens to his side, begging for his life to be spared. Harris develops a wonderful collection of characters to serve as cardinals and support staff, though he promises in his author's note that none are based on actual people.

Peter, who will also remove the impediments that Vatican II ushered in, keeping the faith pure and the language of the Church equally so. Robert Harris is the author of ten bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, and An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

He weaves together all the issues confronting the church, and the contrasts between the cardinals – in matters of faith, temperament, politics and geography. I also had the opportunity to visit Vatican City which gave me a greater appreciation of the power of the Church, which is evident from the awe-inspiring and jaw-droppingly beautiful sovereign state in the city of Rome.

As Dean of the College of Cardinals, Lomeli must organise the election of the next pope, which is only a few weeks hence. When the Liturgy had been recited, the four cardinals remained around the deathbed in silent prayer.

There’s a great novel waiting to be written about a papal election – but for now, I’m afraid there’s only black smoke blowing through the literary chimney. Europeans hold a huge advantage in electing the Pope, regardless of the number of Catholics they represent. But eventually it came free and he carried it on his outstretched palm to Tremblay, who took a pair of shears from the silver box – the sort of tool one might use to dead-head roses, thought Lomeli – and inserted the seal of the ring between the blades.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. He remembered riding with the Holy Father in this very car early in his papacy when two elderly monsignors had got in. Cardinals (there are more Cardinals than this, but there is a rule that those over 80 years of age cannot vote in the conclave) are sequestered in conclave to decide who will be the next spiritual leader of those 1. There are four main contenders, but each of them has issues that could keep them from obtaining the papacy. Unconcerned with religious debate or philosophical argument, Conclave quickly descends into high camp.As he makes these indiscretions known to the Cardinals, it starts to look like Lomeli is meticulously eliminating his competition to be Pope. In the course of his novel, Robert Harris had the opportunity to discuss the growing number of Catholics located outside of Europe and their underrepresentation with Cardinal hats. The only thing that remained for me to discover, therefore, was how Harris was going to get us from A to B. Atheists and other non-believers should also find it a good read/listen, however, for their own enjoyment, they would benefit if they had formerly participated in, or recognised, the activities of the earlier Christian churches: the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Catholic Churches, and “High”** versions of the Anglican, Church of England, and Episcopalian Churches. Harris has great skill in painting portraits with very little information and only a few colors to create realistic dialogue, fascinating tension and the formation of alliances and the development of schisms.