Over-burdened with remorse for sacrificed loved ones in war and peace, Declan Walsh, retires from the Supreme Court to a Trappist monastery, and from there he is called to the papacy

his book is universally considered to be an unusual, fascinating, and well-written observation of the life of a man who was first a hero and Medal of Honor winner from a brutal war, then Chief Justice of the United States, later a monk in the wake of tragedy and insight, and finally elected Pope: Pope Francis I. His exciting life is described by three men who 'knew him well.' The first narrator is a Marine, telling of their time together in action. A constitutional scholar and Supreme Court Justice, appalled at the new Chief Justice, narrates the second phase. The third is a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church: fat, kind, but distracted. The Marine cares for him the most, the Supreme Court Justice condescends and despises him, and the Cardinal is much more interested in food than his subject. But Declan Walsh was a man who earned the Medal of Honor while ordering the deaths of comrades, ruled pragmatically and energetically on the Supreme Court but lost his way to tragedy and neglect, and became a miraculous healer - assassinated for challenging the powers that rule the secular world. - What makes this book extraordinary is that it proves itself by paradox - reconciling and weaving together strong, seemingly incompatible elements into a cohesive, memorable work quite unlike any other in 20th century fiction. Ambitious in length and scope, the stage is nothing less than the contemporary world, its recent history and prophecy; while the focus, from several points of view, is clearly upon a single man, an American, who rises to become Bishop of Rome. - "Fascinating and gripping ... this remarkable epic will haunt the reader long after." - Time - "Distinctive, ambitious in scope and entertaining." - Library Journal - "No reader can fail to be stirred." - San Francisco Chronicle