February 2, 1997
In 2009, a mild-mannered Irish cardinal is elected pope as a compromise candidate-and turns the Church and the world upside-down. Former Irish Catholic priest de Rosa (Bless Me Father) wrings gentle humor out of an easy target in this tale by contriving to have Brian Cardinal O'Flynn conked on the head by a pillar while being anointed pope. Prior to this accident, Brian was an undistinguished prelate whose chief distinction was his devotion to his Labrador, Charley. Indeed, the cardinals charged with electing a successor to Pope John Paul II select Brian as the first Irish pope, "Pope Pat," because he seems a solid, harmless choice. Recovering from his head injury, however, he starts issuing shockingly unexpected edicts. Some of de Rosa's humor is predictable, particularly the new pope's position on birth control and celibacy in the priesthood: "From now on, priests will be allowed to marry if they so wish and remain in the ministry." He does add several intriguing spins to Pope Patrick's tenets on sex and on the new balance of ecclesiastical power. The pace picks up when His Holiness issues equally uncompromising edicts on Vatican finances and nuclear proliferation, triggering a serious political crisis between the U.S. and a group of Islamic nations. Although the apocalyptic ending feels too abrupt and dark to jibe with the tolerant, tweaking tone of the rest of the story, this novel should find a ready readership among the decidedly iconoclastic congregation of American Catholics. (Mar.) FYI: Readers of de Rosa's novel Rebels may experience deja vu, since some material here has been taken verbatim from that book.
February 1, 1997
In this satirical novel, Irish author and former Catholic priest De Rosa (Rebels, Fawcett, 1992)--whose Bless Me Father, which he wrote as Neil Boyd in 1977, spawned the BBC television series of the same name--takes on papal politics and the future of the world in the third millennium. In 2009, Republican Catholic Roone Delaney has defeated Sylvester Stallone for the presidency; the Ice War has succeeded the Cold War, with power balanced between the United States and the militant Federation of Islamic Republics; and Pope John Paul II has just died. A fluke nomination and a deadlocked ballot result in the election of Irish Cardinal Brian O'Flynn as Pope Patrick, and then the fireworks start. In three encyclicals, Patrick takes on sex (permissible only for procreation), money (to be provided to the poor interest-free, an idea that shakes financial markets worldwide), and nuclear arms (immoral). Patrick is a loving and lovable character whose logic is unarguable and whose story is sometimes funny, sometimes moving, and too often painfully plausible. Thought-provoking entertainment; for most collections.--Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
February 15, 1997
It is 2009, and John Paul II has died after raving on his deathbed, in dozens of languages, against contraception. Meanwhile, the U.S. has elected Roone Delaney the first Catholic, albeit Republican, president since Kennedy because his opponent, Sylvester Stallone, waffled momentarily on the prospect of nuking the entire Arab world, which, united as the Federation of (fundamentalist) Islamic Republics, is led by the militant Ayatollah Hourani. Into this predicament comes--though possibly brain damaged as well as, without question, inspired--a new pope. Irish and named after Saint Patrick. Who becomes the focus for former priest de Rosa's marvelous, engaging satire on priestly celibacy, contraception, the Vatican Bank, usury, and much more. Fast paced, tenderhearted but sharp tongued, and featuring a wonderful role for a Labrador retriever when the movie version is made, this is a delight. ((Reviewed February 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)