Conclave

When the Pope dies, eligible cardinals assemble at the Vatican from all around the globe to elect a new Pontiff.  The election is carried out in the strictest secrecy within the locked confines of the Sistine Chapel.  This process is called a Conclave, and is the subject of Robert Harris' latest novel, also called Conclave (#617).

Set in the not very distant future, the wheels of the process are set in motion when word is received by senior Vatican officials that the Pope has died unexpectedly.  Cardinal Lomeli as Dean of the College of Cardinals, is in charge according to the Apostolic Constitution, and the story is told mainly from his perspective.  As the Cardinals begin to gather in Rome, the lobbying for power begins.

Lomeli is a man of integrity  struggling with the weight of the burden placed upon his shoulders as he learns that all was not well with the Holy Father just before his death, and that his actions were increasingly under scrutiny by the inner circle around him. Will the Church look forward as he did, or will a Pontiff from the traditional faction try to roll back reforms made since Vatican II?  

This psychological thriller does provide a window into an ancient rite that is hidden from the public, but whose outcome goes far beyond the Roman Catholic Church in its influence.  If you've ever been curious about what goes on behind the closed doors at the Conclave, this is good way to imagine it.