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The Last Pope
"Has drawn comparisons with The Shoes of the Fisherman and The DaVinci Code."
-Connecticut Post
In the tradition of the classic bestseller The Shoes of the Fisherman, this evocative and moving novel takes you deep inside the inner world of the Vatican and the American branch of the Holy See to dramatize the great moral issues dividing the Church.
The passing of humble and beloved Pope Gregory XVIII brings the Lords of the Church to the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome to meet in its secret recesses and elect a new pope. They find they must choose between a caring, but guilt-ridden, American cardinal (the very same young priest who made a heart-rending confession so many years ago) who would bring reforms to the Church, or a cardinal whose soul belongs to the Inquisition. At stake-the future of the Church itself.
-Connecticut Post
In the tradition of the classic bestseller The Shoes of the Fisherman, this evocative and moving novel takes you deep inside the inner world of the Vatican and the American branch of the Holy See to dramatize the great moral issues dividing the Church.
The passing of humble and beloved Pope Gregory XVIII brings the Lords of the Church to the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome to meet in its secret recesses and elect a new pope. They find they must choose between a caring, but guilt-ridden, American cardinal (the very same young priest who made a heart-rending confession so many years ago) who would bring reforms to the Church, or a cardinal whose soul belongs to the Inquisition. At stake-the future of the Church itself.
313 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
6 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
David Osborn
61 books18 followersDavid Osborn is the author of nine published novels, including the bestselling Open Season, Heads and Murder on Martha's Vineyard. He has also written 24 screenplays, including Chase a Crooked Shadow, which is listed by the British Academy of Motion Picture Science as one of the 10 best suspense scripts ever written. His original screenplay for The Trap was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Osborn lives in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 20, 2017
An interesting (and rather timely) premise, burdened by too much tell and not enough show. More like the summary of a good novel than the novel itself.
January 5, 2020
It seems to me that novels about the inner workings of the Catholic Church have become very popular lately. Perhaps this is because the Church is still something of an unknown entity, a closed society, a mystery to outsiders. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Vatican is one of the few hierarchies whose rules are not readily apparent. That being said, David Osborn's novel sets up a three-way conflict that would play out in the conclave to elect a new pope. The Traditionalist faction is led by Cardinal Mancini, the Vatican Secretary of State, who would like nothing more than to return the Church to the "glory days", especially under his sovereign leadership. There is a more moderate faction (called Conservatives for some reason) which is a coalition of the more progressive cardinals from Africa, South America, and some others. Their candidate is an American, Cardinal Heriot, who has some baggage of his own to deal with and keeps to himself during the conclave. And just to complicate things, there is an American priest, John Zecharias, who has attracted a wide following with a campaign to reform the Church according to his vision of Christ's plan.
The book jumps back and forth in time, giving insights into the lives of the three major characters along with a number of minor players. Everything is linked chronologically to the death of one pope and the election of another. Osborn's sympathy is clearly with Cardinal Heriot and the "Conservatives". He has few good things to say about Cardinal Mancini and his crowd; they are entirely too fond of good food, good wine, and power. Heriot and Zecharias, by contrast, are portrayed as humble, prayerful, and concerned about the poor. Given the debates in the Church today, it is not difficult to see how this scenario would play out.
When writing a novel about a real institution, it is important to get the details right. Unfortunately, Osborn doesn't do that. Cardinals are never called "Your Excellency" nor are they referred to as "His Lordship". Although my Latin is a bit rusty, I have some questions about the accuracy of the translations he makes from Latin into English. He hasn't kept up with the rituals for the Conclave either. The Cardinals now stay in the Domus Sancta Marta(which is a modern hotel-style residence) rather than temporary cells in the Sistine Chapel. Pope John Paul II revised the ritual for the election; it is a different process from the one Osborn describes although many elements remain the same. As far as I know, the balloting is totally secret; the elector's name is not listed on the ballot. These lapses in accuracy lessened my enjoyment of the book.
The book jumps back and forth in time, giving insights into the lives of the three major characters along with a number of minor players. Everything is linked chronologically to the death of one pope and the election of another. Osborn's sympathy is clearly with Cardinal Heriot and the "Conservatives". He has few good things to say about Cardinal Mancini and his crowd; they are entirely too fond of good food, good wine, and power. Heriot and Zecharias, by contrast, are portrayed as humble, prayerful, and concerned about the poor. Given the debates in the Church today, it is not difficult to see how this scenario would play out.
When writing a novel about a real institution, it is important to get the details right. Unfortunately, Osborn doesn't do that. Cardinals are never called "Your Excellency" nor are they referred to as "His Lordship". Although my Latin is a bit rusty, I have some questions about the accuracy of the translations he makes from Latin into English. He hasn't kept up with the rituals for the Conclave either. The Cardinals now stay in the Domus Sancta Marta(which is a modern hotel-style residence) rather than temporary cells in the Sistine Chapel. Pope John Paul II revised the ritual for the election; it is a different process from the one Osborn describes although many elements remain the same. As far as I know, the balloting is totally secret; the elector's name is not listed on the ballot. These lapses in accuracy lessened my enjoyment of the book.
August 10, 2015
I need something different this week. Amusing myself with religion seems a good way to go.
August 28, 2018
With all that is going on in the world now this novel makes one realy think!
Great read ,timely, a must read.
Look t our world, look to the church, this book is to close to wht is happening in the world.
Great read ,timely, a must read.
Look t our world, look to the church, this book is to close to wht is happening in the world.
August 5, 2017
Good vs evil!
I was delighted at the triumph of good over evil and refilled with hope that some day it might actually be so.
I was delighted at the triumph of good over evil and refilled with hope that some day it might actually be so.
October 23, 2018
Mais ou menos. Difícil de ler. Maçador
April 23, 2020
This is an excellent novel that I truly enjoyed.
October 28, 2022
A story about the selection of a new pope, pitting liberal versus conservative wings of the church. An okay read, but somewhat predictable.
January 2, 2023
This is such anti Catholic trash. A bad book and I recommend it not be read.
July 9, 2023
Not quite what I expected.
September 4, 2025
A more realistic portrayal of the process of selecting a Pope than Angels & Demons, and a touch more mystical.
February 6, 2016
My Grade = 75% - C (and that was pretty much a gift)
I bought this book, a new and shiny trade paperback at a thrift store recently because it was on sale at 2/25 cents. It seemed like it might have been interesting.
The blurb on the front compared it to The Shoes of the Fisherman and The Davinci Code. Shoes I could understand, as it was about a controversial non-Italian being elected pope. The Davinci Code was ludicrous, as it was not in the least about Davinci, art, codes, symbiology, codexes, the Louvre, France, or England, or any descendent of Christ. I guess they did that to promote sales, as there was nothing else to recommend the book.
No spoilers: The story begins many decades earlier when a poor, young Italian priest hears the confession of a poor young American priest. Hope this isn't a spoiler, as it's pretty expected, but both priests grow up to be cardinals and are the top two contenders to be the next pope.
The American priest is plagued his entire adult life by nightmares, which are described here in great detail. Actually, it is as though the priest is actually time travelling, and the dreams are described as actual occurrences.
There were the usual bad novel stuff - a former whore who becomes helper to a controversarial American priest. A tremendously vindictive older nun who feels neglected that the popular cardinal has passed her by in favor of a younger nun (as his assistant and confidant), the gay young Italian priest who is trying to manipulate things in his favor, all the squabbling and narrow minded members of the Curia. The tremendous importance of finance and huge corporations versus anything that even resembles the original purpose of the church.
It's odd how this book, published in 2007 seems to address so many things (such as humility) that have become important in the reign of the present pope.
It is actually interesting once the Conclave begins, but each Conclave chapter is followed by a very long flashback.
Oh, and by the way, the new pope is elected, as expected, and therefore the title, "The Last Pope" has no bearing on this book at all.
I bought this book, a new and shiny trade paperback at a thrift store recently because it was on sale at 2/25 cents. It seemed like it might have been interesting.
The blurb on the front compared it to The Shoes of the Fisherman and The Davinci Code. Shoes I could understand, as it was about a controversial non-Italian being elected pope. The Davinci Code was ludicrous, as it was not in the least about Davinci, art, codes, symbiology, codexes, the Louvre, France, or England, or any descendent of Christ. I guess they did that to promote sales, as there was nothing else to recommend the book.
No spoilers: The story begins many decades earlier when a poor, young Italian priest hears the confession of a poor young American priest. Hope this isn't a spoiler, as it's pretty expected, but both priests grow up to be cardinals and are the top two contenders to be the next pope.
The American priest is plagued his entire adult life by nightmares, which are described here in great detail. Actually, it is as though the priest is actually time travelling, and the dreams are described as actual occurrences.
There were the usual bad novel stuff - a former whore who becomes helper to a controversarial American priest. A tremendously vindictive older nun who feels neglected that the popular cardinal has passed her by in favor of a younger nun (as his assistant and confidant), the gay young Italian priest who is trying to manipulate things in his favor, all the squabbling and narrow minded members of the Curia. The tremendous importance of finance and huge corporations versus anything that even resembles the original purpose of the church.
It's odd how this book, published in 2007 seems to address so many things (such as humility) that have become important in the reign of the present pope.
It is actually interesting once the Conclave begins, but each Conclave chapter is followed by a very long flashback.
Oh, and by the way, the new pope is elected, as expected, and therefore the title, "The Last Pope" has no bearing on this book at all.
February 17, 2010
To the extent that there is a genre of popal elections this is firmly within the tradition. Osborn has written a novel structured around the election of a new pope. All the classic elements are there: beloved pope who had been set on changing Church dies, traditionalist, conservative forces centred on the curia wage war with progressives intent on returning the Church to its proper course. The only twists here are a series of horrendous nightmares and an intriguing evangelical priest...but it is not a badly written tale of Papal Intrigue...
October 30, 2014
The concept is good: the sitting pope dies and the conclave convenes to determine who will succeed him. And as might be expected, there is inner intrigue and jockeying for the position, but it's all a little too much.
The characters were hard to keep straight. There were subplots that while tying into the larger overall plot were overworked without real payoff.
The characters were hard to keep straight. There were subplots that while tying into the larger overall plot were overworked without real payoff.
October 8, 2007
I'm not Catholic, so I was really interested in the information about the Vatican, and I'd just read Angels and Demons so that's why I picked this one up. Not a stellar read, but it was interesting to learn a little more about the Vatican and it's conclave.
November 10, 2009
The cover design is good because even without the title it would make a person think about the Vatican and a Papal Conclave (the white smoke). The quote from the prologue on the back cover together with the short blurb about the Pope who has just died certainly mad me want to read the book.
August 10, 2015
Thank you!
This book, though only a novel, reached deeply into me. It has made me think about the possible future of the Church. May our dear Francis be blessed in his role as leader of Holy Mother Church.
This book, though only a novel, reached deeply into me. It has made me think about the possible future of the Church. May our dear Francis be blessed in his role as leader of Holy Mother Church.
February 26, 2008
A really interesting look into how a pope is chosen.
Read
May 16, 2008Although this a fiction piece I learned a lot about the Catholic realm of today. The author's prediction made total sense to me.
September 29, 2009
Ho Hum, with the Papacy at stake we have a conniving cardinal and a truly good cardinal. Who will pull in enough votes.
November 13, 2011
I started reading that book at seaside and i realised that i'm making a mistake. It is a serious novel but i loved that a lot. I want more from that author!
January 25, 2012
trash
July 7, 2013
A very good read.
January 5, 2014
I read this a couple of years ago and thought is was a nice read. The politics of selecting a new pope sounded more real than fiction.
January 7, 2015
Fantástico.
February 26, 2021
Fabulously fascinating topic.. wonderful suspense.turns out I had loaned out the book to a good friend but never got it back..so I had to get a new copy to be able to finish (review to follow)
March 30, 2017
This is an excellent thought-provoking story that is really pertinent to our current state of the world. It was published in 2004 and I'm sure I would have thought the same thing had I read it back then - but now, the "politics of the church" as related to the present American culture is even more relevant than I could ever have believed - and yet so much has already been addressed by the Pope elected in March 2013. Yet always, there is room for improvement. That is life - ever changing and ever evolving.
That being said - there is also a good "story" here. On some of it I had to "suspend" my personal brand of common sense because I am not a person who pays much attention to dreams, nor would I ever debate the topic of reincarnation. This novel, however, drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride!
That being said - there is also a good "story" here. On some of it I had to "suspend" my personal brand of common sense because I am not a person who pays much attention to dreams, nor would I ever debate the topic of reincarnation. This novel, however, drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews