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telynor

Telynor's Library, and then some

A woman of a certain age who has three cats underfoot, and has the dream of filling her passport with stamps. Books, classical music, tea, cats, movies, art, fancy needlework,  and anything else I can think of.

Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession: Includes coverage of the election of Pope Benedict XVI - John-Peter Pham Given the events of February this year, it was pretty natural that I would be drawn to reading about the Vatican City and the Popes. As of this review, Pope Benedict XVI has abdicated his office, and now the college of cardinals are gathering to elect a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

What I was surprised by was that the actual narrative is only half the book. The other half is taken up by a sequence of appendices. I came away with a better understanding of what makes a pope a pope -- it has to do with the fact that the pope is the Bishop of Rome -- and the torturous path that the making of pope is decreed. While the writing is rather dry and nothing at all light, it is still a good read, and one that I would recommend if you can stand the sparse narrative.

Four stars over all, and recommended.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/John_Peter_Pham_0_Heirs_of_the_Fisherman_Behind_the_Scenes_of_Papal_Death_and_Succession_epi/content_614667357828