The Conclave: A Sometimes Secret and Occasionally Bloody History of Papal Elections
by By Walsh, Michael J
Category: Religion , Christianity , Catholic

In 1271, with the papal throne vacant for over two years, local officials locked the cardinals of the Catholic Church in a room, forcing them to select a new pope. From this inauspicious beginning arose the practice of the conclave, the highly secretive combination of rituals and politics designed to select a new leader for the world's Catholic population.In The Conclave, Catholic historian Michael Walsh takes readers through the history of conclaves past, highlighting the vendettas, feuds, and political intrigues that have colored the selection of a new pontiff. An entertaining history of the secret deliberations, colorful stones, and even bloody events that surround the making and unmaking of popes, The Conclave is a great story, a great history and an important work for anyone interested in the papacy.