Offering an exclusive, insider look at the days leading up to, during, and after one of the most significant papal transitions of the last few centuries, this chronicle examines Pope Benedict XVI’s stunning and almost unprecedented decision to resign, as well as the papal conclave that led to the surprising election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would subsequently become Pope Francis. The author draws on a number of conversations with, and eyewitness testimonies of, sources inside the Vatican to reveal the seismic events that took place between February 11 and March 19, 2013. This is a truly singular account of the inner workings of one of the oldest and most influential extant institutions in the western world.

Arturo San Agustín is an award-winning journalist, former publicist, poet, and writer. He had a column in the Catalan daily El Periódico for 10 years and is now a contributor to El Mundo, Spain’s second-largest printed newspaper.