The Making of the Pope 2005

(Press Release)

LITTLE, BROWN TO PUBLISH INSIDE ACCOUNT OF PAPAL SUCCESSION

  After twenty-six years under the leadership of the charismatic, socially conservative John Paul II, the future of the Church hangs on the election of his successor.  With the list of reasonable potential candidates running as high as twenty, there is no clear front-runner, and the political scramble within the College of Cardinals has begun. Greeley, currently in Vatican City and, as a priest, allowed special access to inside sources, will unravel the politics of coalition building and rumor swapping within the highly secretive conclave.  He brings to the task the valuable connections of decades in the priesthood, the savvy of a seasoned journalist, and the analytical perspective of a leading sociologist and Catholic trend watcher.  This first-hand account of the papal election of 2005 will recreate the suspense of the interregnum period and answer all the questions behind the headlines.

 “Father Greeley is uniquely qualified to explain the maneuvers, politics, and personalities that shape this epochal decision.  He will also identify, as only a priest can, the concerns about the Catholic Church’s future role in the U.S. and around the world that the new pontiff will need to confront,” said Michael Pietsch, Publisher of Little, Brown.

 Greeley is a priest, distinguished sociologist and best-selling author.  He will be ABC’s on-site consultant in Rome during the Vatican conclave and he will be covering the selection process in a daily column for the Chicago Sun-Times.  He is professor of social sciences at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona, as well as Research Associate at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.