I Confess: Diary of an Australian Pope

"When I became pope, almost the first word the Curia taught me was 'ricatto'-blackmail."- Pope John XXIVIf there's faith, corruption, ambition, political backstabbing, and sex, it must be the Vatican. The diaries of an Australian cardinal who has, through extraordinary circumstances, become pope reveal the inner workings of the Vatican and-when he realizes his tenure may be short and begins enacting sweeping reforms-the centuries-old system in place to make sure that the status quo is maintained, at any cost.It's like an Agatha Christie mystery set in the Vatican, where the most powerful person is powerless in the face of opposing forces both within and without his inner circle.Pick up your copy now, and peek behind the papal curtain¿"For one who always envied those who belonged to that mysterious club, alas, whose secrets were never to be known unless one 'turned', Melvyn Morrow's hopefully largely fictional diary is a delight, a page-turner. Written with love and respect, I Confess chronicles a whole new world of religious shenanigans we Anglicans always suspected might lay beneath the worship of plaster saints. I Confess is a witty, wicked and strangely moving concoction of saints' days, liturgy, politics, family confession and dogma, all told with larrikin Australian humour, heaps of passion, sentimental care and astute observation. Saints be praised!"Stuart Maunder AM, Artistic Director Victoria Opera, formerly artistic director of State Opera of South Australia and New Zealand Opera. He has also directed for Opera Australia, West Australian Opera and Scottish Opera.