"Vatican City" . . "Vatican City." . "Political science." . . "Roman question." . . "Papacy History 20th century." . . "Child sexual abuse by clergy." . . "Papacy History 21st century." . . "Catholic Church" . . "Catholic Church." . "Clergy." . . "Vatican" . . . "Vatican diaries : a behind-the-scenes look at the power, personalities, and politics at the heart of the Catholic Church" . . . . . . "For more than twenty-five years, journalist John Thavis reported on the inner workings of the Vatican for the Catholic News Service. Thavis reveals Vatican City as a place struggling to define itself in the face of internal and external threats, where Curia cardinals fight private wars and sexual abuse scandals threaten to undermine papal authority. Thavis also takes readers through the politicking behind the election of Pope Francis and what we might expect from his papacy." . . . . "Presents a behind-the-scenes perspective on the Vatican's inner workings that challenges popular perceptions, revealing the personal conflicts, authority-undermining scandals, and modern considerations that are challenging the Vatican's daily business." . "This book presents a behind-the-scenes perspective on the Vatican's inner workings that challenges popular perceptions, revealing the personal conflicts, authority-undermining scandals, and modern considerations that are challenging the Vatican's daily business. For more than twenty-five years the author has reported on the inner workings of the Vatican. His daily exposure to the power, politics, and personalities in the seat of Roman Catholicism gave him a unique perspective on an institution that is far less monolithic and unified than it first appears. He reveals Vatican City as a place where Curia cardinals fight private wars, scandals threaten to undermine papal authority, and reverence for the past is continually upended by the practical considerations of modern life. The author takes readers from a bell tower high above St. Peter's to the depths of the basilica and the Saint's burial place, from the politicking surrounding the election of a new pope and the ever-growing sexual abuse scandals around the world to controversies about the Vatican's stand on contraception and more." . . . "The Vatican diaries : a behind-the-scenes look at the power, personalities and politics at the heart of the Catholic Church" . . . . "Electronic books"@en . . "-- New York Times For more than twenty-five years John Thavis held one of the most fascinating journalistic jobs in the world: reporting on the inner workings of the Vatican. His daily exposure to the power, politics, and personalities in the seat of Roman Catholicism gave him a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on an institution that is far less monolithic and unified than it first appears. Thavis reveals Vatican City as a place where Curia cardinals fight private wars, scandals threaten to undermine papal authority, and reverence for the past is continually upended by the practical considerations of modern life. Thavis takes readers from a bell tower high above St. Peter?s to the depths of the basilica and the saint?s burial place, from the politicking surrounding the election of a new pope and the ever-growing sexual abuse scandals around the world to controversies about the Vatican?s stand on contraception, and more. Perceptive, sharply written, and witty, The Vatican Diaries."@en . . . "History" . "History"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "The Vatican diaries a behind-the-scenes look at the power, personalities and politics at the heart of the Catholic Church"@en . . "The Vatican diaries : a behind-the-scenes look at the power, personalities, and politics at the heart of the Catholic Church" . . . "Catholicism." . . "Papauté Histoire." . .