In this book author Greg Tobin offers a guide to the election of the new Pope. Every rule of this secretive process receives close scrutiny, as does the rich history behind the conclave and the key issues that will shape the future of the Catholic Church at a time when it is in crisis, in the U.S. and abroad. Topics discussed are why the election always concludes with the rising of white smoke; what powers the Cardinals hold during the vacancy of the holy See; and what changes Pope John Paul II made to the centuries-old procedures. This book examines some of the more than 200 holy men and scoundrels, geniuses and mediocrities who have held the position of Pope, and then looks forward to possible successors to Pope John Paul II. In addition, there's a day-by-day account of the balloting inside the Sistine Chapel.