The Next Pope

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When Pope Francis' pontificate has passed, it's very likely that one of the nineteen cardinals featured in these pages will be elected to become the next Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics and the most influential and widely respected moral and religious figure in the world.

Yet outside the Vatican walls, despite the considerable roles that some of these men play in the Church and in the world, few of them are known by the public — or even by their brother cardinals.

Hence this book, an engrossing and thoroughly documented instrument through which a future pope may be known in that sphere that matters most: his life and service, first as a priest, and then as a bishop.

Written by the National Catholic Register's longtime Rome correspondent, Edward Pentin, in collaboration with an international team of qualified scholars, these encyclopaedic pages present you with the fruit of years of research.

Each cardinal profile begins with a brief biography that sketches the major points of his ecclesiastical life. Then comes a detailed, richly footnoted report and assessment of his three fundamental roles as a successor to the apostles: his sanctifying role as a priest, his governing role as a bishop, and his prophetic role as a teacher.

As an important bonus, these pages also carefully document many of the candidates' published views on moral and theological issues currently debated in the Church and in the public arena, as such views often reveal most efficiently the individual’s true character and deepest held beliefs.

Finally, each profile concludes with a summary, recapitulating the main points brought to light by the thorough research, giving readers and tomorrow's cardinal electors a fair and accurate picture of the man who may soon become The Next Pope.

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"I did TV commentary from Rome on EWTN and the Fox News Channel at the 2013 conclave that elected Jorge Bergoglio to succeed Pope Benedict XVI. How I wish I had a book like this back then! Edward Pentin provides us with thoroughly researched background reports on 19 cardinals who will likely be in serious consideration at the next conclave. Accurate information about the pastoral and doctrinal approaches of these cardinals, set forth here with carefully footnoted references, will assist their fellow cardinals, and all interested observers, in making well informed judgments about these men, one of whom could become the next Pope."

Fr. Gerald E. Murray, JCD
Member of EWTN's Papal Posse and pastor of Holy Family Church, New York, NY

"This substantial, well written and well-resourced text, 'The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates', has the potential of offering a great service to the Catholic Church in the 21st Century. It respectfully outlines the men who would be likely candidates for the papacy in a future conclave. It offers accurate and verifiable information which allows the Church and future elector Cardinals to know these men and their resumes more fully as they deliberate the crucial choice of a new Vicar of Christ. It presents this information in a manner which fully respects the freedom of the Cardinal electors to make their prayerful choice and demonstrates the hope which the author has in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide such a choice. I applaud Mr. Pentin for offering this weighty and important text. He is a highly respected and faithfully Catholic journalist whose integrity in reporting is always reliable. Now, I know he is even more. He is a scholar. "

Bishop Joseph Strickland
Diocese of Tyler

"Edward Pentin is one of the best journalists I know. I have been fascinated by his most recent book The Next Pope, written in collaboration with excellent researchers, not only because it is a first-class investigation about the nineteen candidates for the Throne of Peter, but above all because, through the papabili profiles, he introduces us to the post-Francis era."

Professor Robert de Mattei

Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Capuchin photo

"Speculating on who might be the next pope makes for interesting and fun discussions. The problem is that such guesswork is often done with little knowledge of the possible papal candidates. Thus, while such speculation may be entertaining, it is often unfounded. Edward Pentin’s book wonderfully remedies what is missing – pertinent information on the leading Cardinal candidates. He not only provides essential facts, but also insight into each prospective candidate’s character, both personal and ecclesial. With Pentin’s book in hand, speculation about the next pope will be even more lively and, above all, promote better informed and more enjoyable discussions. Moreover, it may just help the electing Cardinals discern whom the Holy Spirit might himself have in mind."

Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Capuchin
Former member of the Vatican's International Theological Commission

"The Next Pope is an indispensable gift to the Church at this time, providing those entrusted with electing the next pope, and others advising the electors, an invaluable aid in assessing the quality of the candidates. This and promised future volumes will also help those of us intensely interested in ecclesial affairs to follow a drama unlike any other — and to know for whom to pray."

Janet Smith
Retired Moral Theologian

"From the preeminent Vatican reporter of his generation comes an indispensable guide to the men who could be the next successor of Peter. Here are the visions of faith and personal histories that will shape the next era of Catholicism as only Edward Pentin could capture them. Read it before the white smoke goes up!"

Raymond Arroyo
'New York Times' Bestselling author, EWTN Lead Anchor/Managing Editor, Fox News Contributor

"Edward Pentin is one of the world’s leading journalists on the Vatican. His meticulously documented and very readable outline of the men most likely to be the next pope will be of great help to Catholics and non-Catholics alike trying to understand many of the complex dynamics which help determine who ends up in the Chair of Saint Peter."

Samuel Gregg
Research Director, Acton Institute