The Shoes of the Fisherman

By Morris West, a highly prescient novel of the papacy. A Slavic pope is elected; he takes the name Kiril I. He has been 17 years in prison in Russia for the faith. His torturer, Kamenev, has risen to power in Russia. The two are almost friends. The book deals with the issues and reforms the new pope faces and implements. It is fascinating. The job is quite isolating and humbling. It can get bogged down in bureaucracy and paperwork. An interesting work.