Chronicles the events behind the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of Pope Francis, tracing the lives of both men and discussing the consequences of having two living popes in residence at the Vatican. "The fascinating and revealing tale of an unprecedented transfer of power and of two very different men--who both happen to live in the Vatican. In February 2013, the archconservative Pope Benedict XVI made a startling announcement: he would resign, making him the first pope to willingly vacate his office in more than seven hundred years. Reeling from the news, the College of Cardinals rushed to Rome to congregate in the Sistine Chapel to pick his successor. Their unlikely choice? Francis, the first non-European pope in twelve hundred years, a onetime tango club bouncer, a passionate soccer fan, a man with the common touch. Why did Benedict walk away at the height of his power, knowing his successor might undo his legacy? How did Francis--who used to ride the bus to work back in his native Buenos Aires--adjust to life as leader of a billion followers? If, as the church teaches, the pope is infallible, how can two living popes who disagree on almost everything both be right? Having immersed himself in these men's lives to write the screenplay for the upcoming motion picture The Pope, Anthony McCarten masterfully weaves their stories into one gripping narrative. From Benedict's and Francis's formative experiences in war-torn Germany and Argentina to the sexual abuse scandal that continues to rock the church at its foundations to the intrigue and the occasional comedy of life in the Vatican, [this book] glitters with the darker and lighter details of one of the world's most opaque but significant institutions."--Dust jacket.