First American Pope

The deadlocked Papal conclave turns to a compromise candidate, Anthony Cardinal Pavelli. Ordained at fifty years of age, and in declining health, the seventy-two year old American, is an unlikely choice. Reluctantly accepting the scepter as God’s will, the Pontiff is eager to reinvigorate the Church by initiating sweeping reforms. A group of ruthless cardinals, each with his own agenda, band together to stop the reforms by discrediting the Pope. Shadowy Vatican forces spread rumors and half-truths about the Pope’s former secular life. His Papacy is teetering, on the verge of implosion. The Pope takes his fight to the media and leads a peace mission to Ireland in an effort to bolster his image as a world leader. When the Pope can’t be derailed by twisted Machiavellian tactics his enemies resort to extreme measures to force his resignation or if necessary to eliminate the American upstart and replace him with one of the status quo Cardinals.