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The Shoes of the Fisherman

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Morris West is one of those rare authors who can conjure up an excellent book from minimal material. A lot of his works centers around (or is linked with) the Catholic church of which he is an excellent and compassionate portrayer, even when he is being critical.

Shoes of the Fisherman, one of his best, is a heart warming look at the Papacy. Starting with the esoterics of a papal election by acclamation (an unusual procedure) of Kiril Lakota, a virtual unknown, West sees the leader of the church not as the storied infallible pontiff but rather as an earnest human being, beset by his own frailties and needs as well as constrained by the inflexible traditions and bureaucracy of the Vatican. But in focusing on Lakota (and his fellows) as a human being, subject to the same weaknesses of all humanity, West makes one admire him all the more, for his willingness to carry the burden. As the head of a religious organizations that spans the seven continents and hundreds of different cultures, the pope must make huge decisions in lonely abstract while bearing in mind the ordinary man and woman who comprise the church. This is a tremendous responsibility and a near impossible task. In the process West looks at numerous sub-themes that still plague the church (though this book is sited at the peak of the Cold War), of marriage, of theology, of doctrine and of the clergy. He makes no judgments, but in painting the essential humanity of the players, West makes the institution of the church and the papacy not only more accessible to the reader, he also generates a more sympathetic understanding of both. This may not (as previous readers have remarked) be a book with a major plotline, but it is a book that, even at its darkest, maintains faith in humanity. Highly recommended, (though members of other religions may find some of the parts hard to follow).

This is the book on which the 1968 movie, The Shoes of the Fisherman, was based. The movie is vastly different than the book. It would have to be. Much of the book is introspective, reflecting the thought processes of Pope Kiril I after he is elected and is a much drier read than the movie is a view, naturally. While I found the book informative and interesting, because of my interest in the Papacy, it is not an easy read. It took focused concentration to absorb all it had to offer.

In the year this book was originally published, 1963, the real world was full of fear, anger, and starvation (some things never change). The cold war was almost 20 years old, and the West's fear of its consequences unabated. Fear of a nuclear holocaust was rampant; we were getting closer to a ground war in Vietnam. President Kennedy was assassinated in November of that year. Things weren't destined to get much better. The year the movie came out, 1968, we lost Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy to assassins. The real Pope in the real world had his hands full.

The Shoes of the Fisherman is the story of the election of a Russian to the Papacy, one Kiril Lakota, who had been imprisoned in Siberia for 17 years (20 in the movie) and tormented by his jailer, Kamenev, who later becomes the head of the Soviet state. Lakota's ascent to the Papacy, and his actions as Pontiff, are related in this story. We learn about some of the Pope's brethren, Cardinal Leone and Cardinal Rinaldi, for example, who impart their own histories and personality traits to one another and, hence, to the reader. The George Faber of the book is very different than the one portrayed on film. One desperate world situation is dealt with in the film. In the book, there are many. Pope Kiril I is reminiscent of Pope John Paul II as the first to see the importance of traveling widely outside The Vatican; to visit his people spread across the earth.

One character worthy of mention is theologian Jean Télémond. In his intense internal struggle to justify God to man, he writes. His writings, often in conflict with his elders, offer his own passionate views of God, Jesus, and the Church--its leaders, tenets, practices, and views, as they relate to the people of the world, and to science. He spent 20 years in exile because of his views, only to have same put on trial after "coming home."

The movie takes many liberties, simplifies and leaves out much, but doing so makes the whole of the book's message easier to digest. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. The movie is a thousand pictures, pictures that help the reader understand the content and context of this excellent and thought-provoking novel.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

This book (and the movie which derives from it) is remarkable, all the moreso because of the the amount of inadvertent prophecy that takes place during the course of it. 'Shoes of the Fisherman' is a phrase that is sometimes used to refer to the office of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome; the See of Peter, the Chair of Peter, etc., various other historical and scriptural references are a kind of ecclesial shorthand.

This story takes place during the height of the Cold War, when it was not primarily a two-way confrontation, but rather seemed to threaten to become a three-way contest with the seeming emergence of China as a communist power independent from the Soviet Union. This book sets a looming crisis between the United States and Soviet Union as the primary issue, and concludes with a major conference for peace being called (we do not get to know the outcome of this, however, from the book).

Archbishop Kiril Lakato, longtime political prisoner of the Soviet Union, is released (the exact reasoning for this we are never told) by his long-time captors. He is released to Rome, where he is installed as a cardinal for his faithfulness to the church. In quick succession after this, the pope dies, and an election takes place. Remarkably, Kiril the Russian is elected pope, after giving a moving account of his time in captivity to assembled cardinals weary of the election process, and shortly thereafter commits the church to a risky idea of intervention between the major powers, to the dismay of many of the fellow cardinals, who believe the new pope is following a dangerous path.

Subplots include a very timid (by today's standards), and to a certain extent a bit distracting. The main issue (rather than the plot) is to explore the theological issues behind the papal election and the use of theology and politics in the modern church. Despite being written in the 1960s, the book in fact still rings true with many of the facets of this slow-to-change institution.

What makes this book and its attendant film so remarkable is that it was released a full decade before the election of another pope from the communist block. In the 1960s it was considered very shocking to consider a non-Italian pope, much less one coming from behind the Iron Curtain. This of course had the prophetic ring when Karol (not Kiril) from Poland became pope.

Another prophetic instance is in the ecclesiastical trial of the radical theologian -- during his defense, this theologian even uses the words that later theologians would use, who were silenced by the Roman order, and who finally had to leave the church to remain true to their convictions in some instances.

Just how the author could have foreseen these so far in advance is a mystery.

Raised Protestant by former Catholics, my view of religion has been a swirl of orthodoxy and free-thinking. With no regrets, I was hooked into the fiction of Morris West. Although "The Clowns of God," "The Tower of Babel," "Proteus," and others provided thrillers rich in theological and political ideas, nothing quite captured me in the way of my first encounter with "The Shoes of the Fisherman."

West was a writer of Old World elegance and, sometimes, stiffness. His characters rarely spoke like actual people; they spoke like people trying to convey concepts that would be written down for the ages. Although somewhat archaic, there was a grace and richness to this perspective that always left me satisfied. In "The Shoes of the Fisherman," more than any other West novel, I was challenged with questions of what the true gospel of Jesus is all about, and the true purpose of ministry in a world of hurting people. When the Pope decides to disguise himself so that he may enter the lives of normal people, we see an example of the Son of God coming to earth in the form of a man to touch human lives. With characteristic beauty, using fictitious papal journal entries, West gives us glimpses into the mind of those called to serve God.

I, for one, miss the writing of Morris West and hope to one day see him on the other side. Until then, I hope his books are not lost to future generations. He has much to say that still applies to our modern world.

I approached this book from the standpoint of a person interested in the Roman Catholic Church's papal traditions. And, indeed, there is much of that. However, what I found was an amazing work that touches upon the daily temptations and challenges to the human soul.

Anyone who possesses a heart, who longs for some insight into the relationship with God and His creation, will find themself fulfilled with each turned page.

One of the ironic things about The Shoes of the Fisherman is that its protagonist, Pope Kiril I, is the first pope of non-Italian descent -- nearly twenty years before the real event occurs. Kiril's reflections and meditations on the soul, God, and the direction of the chuch bears an uncanny resemblance to those of John Paul II.

I feel myself not just a better Catholic for having read this book, but also one who understands better what the soul craves, and how to understand man's relationship with the Master.

Perhaps the most important thing I have taken from Mr. West's book is the difference between the man centered on himself and the man centered on God. As someone who strives to work in the public sector, this is an unbelieveably crucial thing to understand.

"The Shoes of the Fisherman" is a novel first published in 1963 which centers on the election and early reign of Pope Kiril I, a Russian, recently released from prison, whose secret appointment to the College of Cardinals was revealed by his dying predecessor upon his release from prison. The novel begins with the preparations for the conclave and the mechanism of Kiril's election.

In the course of this novel, author Morris West weaves an intriguing collection of characters and themes though the book and into each others lives, all centering on Pope Kiril. The characters include a German-Jewish, American-Catholic widow trying to find meaning in her life in Rome, an American reporter, an Italian politician, the woman torn between them, a suppressed Jesuit theologian and assorted Curial officials. Summit correspondence channeled through Kiril adds a touch of diplomatic tension to the tale.

The story which each of these characters brings to the novel grasps the attention of the reader One is tempted to try to find recent Popes in the person of Kiril. Is he Paul who started the tradition of Papal travelers? Is he John Paul the Wander, another "Light from the East", whose involvement in international power politics will be studied for years? The reader is well advised to resist the temptation to see history in this novel. The ultimate story is Kiril himself, Kiril the priest-counselor, the priest-confessor, Kiril the pastor, the Vicar of the Prince of Peace, but mostly the soul searching for God's will and reaching within himself for the courage to follow it. Through the book you will wonder about the characters who flow in and out of it. At the end you will focus on Kiril as he fathoms the mysteries of God. This is what you will keep in your mind and ponder in your heart.

A heartwarming and profound novel about an Eastern European who surprisingly becomes pope. No, it's not a fictional account of the election of John Paul II -- it was written many years before the current Pope's election.

Surrounding the main plot are a number of sub-plots dealing with the very human problems of abortion, infidelity, divorce, homosexuality, and many of the other issues which continue to plauge the world and the Church.

This book is highly recommended.

First read this some 20 years ago and reread it recently.Was more enthralled the 2nd time.I liked that the author appears to have inside knowledge of the Vatican.He impresses us with it as he slowly unravels the story of Kiril Lakota,a cardinal from behind the iron curtain(when there was a curtain)who unexpectedly and reluctantly is elected Supreme Pontiff.Not being of the faith it was all a mystery to me and this story managed in a little way to de-mystify a few things.How they elect a pope for one! It dawns on the reader that even persons that high up have foibles and prejudices like us mere mortals.A comforting and worrying thought at the same time. A must for all Morris West fans.

The author did a very nice job of illustrating how the church leaders can feel very compassionate towards a person or issue, yet the churches' position comes across as cold and condescending. The character development was excellent. I developed a sense of pity for the loneliness and isolation that the Pope must feel until death. The plots that only superficially involved the Pontiff were great and really kept the reader engaged. This book gave a very well rounded depiction of the papacy, Rome, and the questions facing the church today.

My only problem with this book was that it was laden with verbose narratives about evolution, faith, eternity, and other complicated issues. The book did not quench my thirst for papal history and traditions, but this was fiction, so that will have to wait for another day and other book.

This book came highly recommended to me by a good friend of mine and overall I enjoyed reading it, but I must let everyone know-- this book has no plot. The book starts out promising enough-- the election of a surpise pope. However, no major plot arcs emerge. Instead we get these minor plot arcs that we recognize as being secondary and yet they often take up large parts of this book as if they were major plot arcs. This left me wondering when the "real" story was going to happen, but sadly the most promising story arc that is hinted at all book (a major meeting for peace between the US and Russia) never happens.

But this is a well written book for what it is. West does a great job in developing the complicated character of this new pope as well as many of his advisors. West also does a great job in showing the immense complexities of the modern papacy (so many countries, so many different competing interests) while still showing a great compassion for the ordinary man and woman. It's this compassion that is perhaps most striking and the most powerful component of the book. Read this book for its emotions and its ideas, not for its plot.