First published 2025
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli never expected to transform the Catholic Church when he became Pope John XXIII in 1958. The cheerful Italian cardinal from Venice launches Vatican II, summoning hundreds of church leaders to Rome for what he calls a "medicine of mercy." His push to modernize the ancient institution ignites fierce resistance from conservatives like Cardinal Ottaviani, the powerful director of the Holy Office who lives by the motto "Always the Same." Battle lines form as reformers clash with traditionalists over priestly celibacy, birth control, relations with other faiths, and the role of women. Through seven papal reigns spanning decades, Shenon reveals the secret maneuverings and bitter disputes that tear at the heart of the Holy See. The novel exposes how personal ambitions and theological differences create fractures that echo through the modern Church, touching millions of faithful caught between tradition and change.
Genres: literary-fiction, christian-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, catholic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, tradition-vs-change
Setting: Rome, Vatican
Period: 1958, 20th-century
608 pages · Hardcover · Knopf