Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections [Hardcover]

Prof. Frederic J. Baumgartner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

Since 1600, whenever a Pope dies, the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church convene in Rome to elect a successor. The Papal Conclave is an event like no other. Highly secret and conducted behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, it happens about eight times every century. It is an event that has evolved over the centuries and is always filled with high drama: cardinals meeting en masse in their scarlet robes, throngs of the faithful standing watch in St. Peter's Square, the black or white smoke billowing from the chimney signalling the election of a new Pontiff Since secrecy was not heavily invoked until the twentieth century, there is a vast store of rich material to work from and Fred Baumgartner uses it to its utmost detailing the bickering and blatant politicking that goes on behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel in this important and timely book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Frederic Baumgartner's book is well balanced, both in its wide sweep of centuries and in fairness to individuals, be they popes, cardinals or monarchs...this history will give us an understanding of the evolution of the world's oldest elected institution. It should be made required reading for the college of cardinals, and perhaps presented to a new Eminence with his red hat."--Richard Mullen, Catholic Herald
"There is something irresistibly exciting about a papal election--but reading this fascinating and scholarly account of elections over 200 years, it seems the forthcoming conclave will be one of the dullest in history...The use of white smoke, along with the strict secrecy, Baumgartner shows, is an innovation scarcely more than 100 years old. But the process is still a fascinating one, as this readable, very well researched and interesting book proves."--David McLaurin, Church Times
"It's surely no surprise that a history of papal elections is largely a history of bad behavior: self aggrandizement, corruption, bribery, nepotism, greed and cynical manipulation."--Barney Zwartz, The Age

 

Praise for Baumgartner's Longing for the End:
"...a lucid and readable survey of the many varieties and permutations of millennialism in Western thought." --Paul Boyer, author of When Time Shall Be No More

Book Description

Since 1600, whenever a Pope dies, the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church convene in Rome to elect a successor. The Papal Conclave is an event like no other. Highly secret and conducted behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, it happens about eight times every century. It is an event that has evolved over the centuries and is always filled with high drama: cardinals meeting en masse in their scarlet robes, throngs of the faithful standing watch in St. Peter's Square, the black or white smoke billowing from the chimney signalling the election of a new Pontiff Since secrecy was not heavily invoked until the twentieth century, there is a vast store of rich material to work from and Fred Baumgartner uses it to its utmost detailing the bickering and blatant politicking that goes on behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel in this important and timely book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1 edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312294638
• ISBN-13: 978-0312294632
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,155,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Non-Academic Survey of Papal Elections, October 5, 2004

By 

J. Switzer (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections (Hardcover)

This is a book that focuses on how the Popes have been chosen and elected, starting with Peter and going all the way to John Paul II. Given that records of the earliest elections are scant, or non-existent, Baumgartner spends only about 20 pages going through the first 1000 years of the Church, and then another 20 pages for the next 300 years or so, but Baumgartner presents all of the solid historical information that is available, without engaging in the salacious or scandalous rumors that have characterized other histories of the Church. For example, he mentions "Pope Joan" only in passing but provides references for both those who believe she was only a myth and for those who believe she was real. Baumgartner is sparse with his footnotes, which makes the book easier to read, but all sources are cited.

The book, strangely enough, does not provide a list of Popes and their dates of reign, which is unfortunate since sometimes the dates in the text are hard to find. However, that kind of information is readily available on the Internet from places like advent.org and other Catholic Encyclopedias.

The only other flaw I could find is that the description of John Paul II's election could have had more depth, but Baumgartner does include information on the changes the current Pope has made in the election process that would affect the choice of his successor, which will be interesting when that event occurs.

This is a great book if you're looking for details about how the longest unbroken line of rulers have been chosen for almost 2,000 years. Good, bad, and lost opportunities are all presented, and it fills in some of the whys and wherefores that standard histories might miss.