The People's Cardinal is a suspenseful thriller that voyages into the future of the Catholic Church, examining the dangers the church faces if it fails to meet the needs of the faithful in a rapidly changing modern world-and if it allows the blind ambition of its leaders to prevail.
It is 2045, the pope has died, the Catholic Church is in crisis, and church leaders are deeply divided about the direction they should take to stem the church's losses. Many, seeing the problem as a loss of confidence, desire to reform the church to become more in touch with its flock. But the traditionalists see things otherwise.
Cardinal Antonio Ruggieri is among those traditionalists who believe the church's problems stem from a lack of church discipline. A man with legendary bulldog tenacity, he believes he's the only one with the backbone to do what needs to be done.
On the eve of the Conclave, little does the College of Cardinals realize they are about to set in motion one of the most significant innovations in several centuries-the appointment of a lay cardinal-sowing the seeds for a shocking power grab that will shake the church at its very foundations.
About the Author: Harry L. Sheehy is a former Jesuit with a keen interest in the role of the Catholic Church in modern society. With a BA and an MBA from Stanford University, as well as a DDS from Northwestern University, he has a diverse professional background that includes experiences as a business executive, a management consultant, health care provider, university professor, and liturgical director. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Carolyn.
The author of several creative nonfiction works, Sheehy wrote The People's Cardinal as his debut work of fiction. This suspense novel imagines the fate of the Catholic Church when the blind ambition of church leaders leads to perfidy and loss of their moral compasses.
