Conclave: The Politics, Personalities and Process of the Next Papal Election

As the world watches Rome, this slim book goes a long way to explain what will happen as the Cardinals gather to select a new pope. Though somewhat dated (2002), the book provides a great general overview of the "parties" and the twenty most likely candidates for the papal office. This book is far more beneficial than the countless snippets of news coverage that we will now be inundated with brief overviews of the process. I especially liked that Allen illustrates many of his points with examples from past Papal elections. Though the value of this title may greatly decline in a few months, it is the perfect read for the current times in which we face an event the likes of which several of us younger readers have not seen in our memory. I feel far better informed after having read this volume.

Thank goodness I found this book--It really is exactly what it says it is. Allen writes quite well, in typical journalist fashion, but the information he captures makes me wonder if he isn't primarily a historian. He's got a good style in terms of giving "just the facts", which I appreciated as I wasn't looking for editorials or op-ed pieces on John Paul II.

John L. Allen, Jr., has written the easiest to read and to understand book on the election of a pope in the Catholic Church. Conclave should be required reading for all Catholics in high school. I recommend it as well to anyone who wants to better understand their church.

The election of a new Pope will obviously have a great impact on the lives of the One Billion or so Catholics around the world. The selection of a new Holy Father however, will also have a very far-reaching impact on the rest of the people of the world. Not only does the Pope have a great influence on world affairs but as the Catholic Church opens more and more dialogue with other Christian and indeed non-Christian faiths the selection of the next Pontiff is of supreme importance. It is for those reasons, and of course my deep Catholic faith that I decided to read this book. I am very happy to say that John Allen has written a book that will not only be informative to life-long Catholics but also to new Catholics, Protestants and anyone else who finds this subject to be of interest. He very clearly enunciates the differences that exist within the College of Cardinals on all sorts of issues, both spiritual and temporal. He also leads his readers through the side issues that may also decide the conclave's choice. As examples, many within the Church apparently would like to see a third world Pope, there is little chance that John Paul's successor will be from Eastern Europe, and because of John Paul's long tenure there is little chance that the next Pope will be young. That thought had never crossed my mind but apparently many of the Cardinals are not fond of long reigns. The best part of this book however, was the section dealing with the details of how a new Pope is elected. Allen takes his readers on a step by step journey through the process, from the Pope's death until his successor is elected and he accepts the job. It is a fascinating process and Allen does a tremendous job making it understandable and highly easy to read. There is even a glossary at the back of the book to help the reader keep up with some of the titles and terms used in the book. Thanks to John Allen I now know just what a Cardinal is, and that knowledge alone was well worth the price of the book.