The Next Pope Book

On the day of her husband's funeral in December 1994 Margaret Hebblethwaite received the advance copies of his final book The Next Pope. In the book, Peter Hebblethwaite made both an astringent critique of John Paul II's papacy and an attempt to see who might step into his shoes. Since 1995 the first list of contenders has aged and a group of younger cardinals has moved into the line-up. Margaret Hebblethwaite, until recently the assistant editor of the The Tablet, has updated and revised her husband's book. She takes the readers through the ancient ceremonies that accompany the death of a pope and discusses John Paul's new rules for the conclave, which will elect his successor. In an expanded second section, Hebblethwaite takes us through the list of the 100 or so cardinals from all corners of the globe who could occupy the throne of St Peter. Hebblethwaite is a liberal Catholic, and sometimes her politically correct preferences colour her comments too much, but she has done her homework and the result is a book where solid research is presented in a punchy and readable journalistic style. --Dwight LongeneckerRead More