The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Account of the Conclave That Changed History

Written by a top Vatican journalist, this book is an inside, day-by-day account of the process that began with Pope Benedict XVI’s surprising decision to retire and continued up to Pope Francis’s election and installation. Gerard O’Connell and his wife—herself a Vatican correspondent from Argentina—had befriended Bergoglio years before and were among the very few journalists who predicted his election. Now, relying on extensive inside sources, he reveals the basis for that confidence and shares with us what actually happened inside the secret conclave.