Gilda, a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian, cannot stop ruminating about death. Desperate for relief from her panicky mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church, and finds herself being greeted by Father Jeff, who assumes she’s there for a job interview. Too embarrassed to correct him, Gilda is abruptly hired to replace the recently deceased receptionist Grace....

Garry Wills spent five years at a Jesuit seminary and nearly became a priest himself. After a lifetime of study and reflection, he now poses some challenging questions: Why do we need priests at all? Why did the priesthood arise in a religion that began without it and opposed it? Would Christianity be stronger without priesthood? Wills does not expect the priesthood to fade entirely away. He just reminds listeners that Christianity did without it...

A lost gospel, a contentious relic, and a dying pope's final wish converge to send two brothers--both Vatican priests--on an intellectual quest to untangle Christianity's greatest historical mystery.

All eyes are focused on the Vatican, hoping to see the puffs of white smoke signaling the selection of the next Pope, but this time, much more is at stake, for the new pontiff may be the only person who can bring peace to a world on the brink of nuclear war.