Inside the Vatican.

Tom Reese is at it again. His third take on the ecclesiastical world from a political scientist's perspective involves the inner workings of the Vatican. First he told us how archdioceses work (Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Church, Harper & Row). Then he did what many said was impossible: He made sense of the operations of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference (A Flock of Shepherds: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Sheed & Ward). Now, working with little hard data and lots of anonymous sources, he explains the inner workings of the Vatican in such a noninflammatory manner that I doubt he'll be promoting the book on the talk-show circuit. Nevertheless, it is a very useful reference for those who want to know how the Holy See operates...or at least how it is organized to operate.

Without a doubt, Reese's treatment of papal elections will be a very valuable reference tool when the successor of John Paul II is elected. He explains the process in a clear, illuminating manner. The media would be well advised to book Reese now as a commentator for the next conclave.

A strong case is made for appreciating the radical nature of one of the procedural changes in papal elections introduced by John Paul II. Reese stresses the importance of recognizing that, after twelve days or so, an absolute majority of electors can decide to change the two-thirds requirement to that of an absolute majority. Supporters of a candidate who received only an absolute majority early in the process, Reese concludes, would only have to wait until the rules could be changed in favor of their candidate.

With more comfortable living quarters and no cardinals over eighty who might be less inclined to wait the twelve days, Reese argues, it is more likely that an absolute majority could play the waiting game to get the man they want rather than supporting a compromise candidate who would be supported by two-thirds of the electors.

While I appreciate Reese's argument, I suspect the cardinals would move toward a compromise well before the twelve days in order to avoid giving the impression that the new pope may not have enjoyed the support of two-thirds of the electors.

Inside the Vatican was probably the most difficult book of the series for Reese to research. His written sources are somewhat limited and he had to rely on (mainly) anonymous oral interviews.

If we were to apply a type of biblical source criticism to the book, we could try and guess who a particular anonymous source might be. For example, Cardinal Pio Laghi, when he was nuncio in the United States, often used analogies to describe his role. "I am like a kidney," he would say, "I filter all that is going on and report to my superiors." Might he be the source that says, "[Being a curial prefect] is like a train.... The instructions are just to change this locomotive from the railroad system that I was working in and place it in another"?

The book is divided into ten independent chapters: "Papal Roles," "The College of Bishops," "The Synod of Bishops," "The College of Cardinals," "The Roman Curia," "Vatican Officials," "Papal Leadership," "Vatican Finances," "Outside the Vatican," and "Toward the Next Millennium."

In some of the chapters, after giving the facts about a particular subject, suggestions are put forward on how the operation might be improved. They range from the trivial (change the location of the Vatican bookstore) to the more radical (heads of curial offices should not be bishops and/or let the prefects serve as ad hoc cardinals who would lose that ranking at the end of the pope's reign). As can be expected, the reader might agree with some of the author's comments, but others seem less than helpful. I think Reese is stronger when he is telling us how things are than when he says how things ought to be.

In the final chapter, "Toward the Next Millennium," Reese argues that incremental change is preferable to radical change when it comes to the operations of the Vatican. Modifications based on three pillars are suggested: (1) a decentralized vision of the universal church as a communion of churches; (2) the convening of an ecumenical council every twenty-five years; and (3) reorganizing the curia on geographical lines.

One inherent problem is the author's heavy reliance on anonymous sources. Some, including Cardinals Edmund Szoka and Edward Cassidy, don't seem to mind being quoted and they come across very well. The senior American cardinal in the curia, William Baum, is never quoted but doesn't seem to be an anonymous source either. Of course, some ecclesiastical wags say Baum can't talk about what he does at the Apostolic Penitentiary since it involves confessional material!

A difficulty in any book which relies on anonymous sources is the inability of the reader to assess the reliability of the source or the accuracy of the speaker's memory. For example, one source states that the Holy See agreed to consult the NCCB about any American priest being considered for a curial position. The source implies that the Vatican never lived up to the agreement. It's a minor point, but my own recollection of the issue is different. It is true that, in a series of meetings involving a delegation from the NCCB and high Vatican officials held in the mid-1980s, American curial staff were discussed. But in a "Memorandum of Understanding," the parties involved simply acknowledged the NCCB's willingness to help surface potential candidates if asked, and never to approve them prior to hiring. At the same time, to give the source his due, I don't recall the NCCB ever being asked to surface names for curial positions!

I think the chapter on Vatican officials is especially good. It is a narrative organizational chart of the inner workings of curial offices. Reese's style is clear, concise, and nonjudgmental. Combined with the chapter on the curia, Inside the Vatican tells us how things work "over there."

All in all, I think Reese gives a balanced picture of the structure, procedures, and people of the Vatican. If you are interested in political science, ecclesiastical style, this book is for you.

Daniel F. Hoye, a former general secretary of the NCCB/USCC, is pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Church in Attleboro, Massachusetts.