This is a very readable book about Medieval Italy. Jon Sweeney,the author, has an easy, conversational style. The book relies heavily on Peter Morrone's own Autobiography for details. Sweeney shows a true mastery of the culture of Medieval times as he seeks to explain the unexplainable decision of Morrone to abdicate the papacy. Morrone was a true hermit and had no need of the world and its trappings. At first, he accepted the decision of the Cardinals but soon regretted it.first-reads5 s Joseph Adelizzi, Jr.203 13

I cannot get over the fact that throughout a sixteen year Catholic education I never once was taught the history of Celestine V, A.K.A. Peter Morrone, a spiritual hermit of the Abruzzi region of Italy who was elected Pope but served only from the end of August to mid-December 1294 before abdicating. That neglected history is handled superbly, with the right amount of historical and ecclesiastic context, by Jon M. Sweeney in his outstanding book “The Pope Who Quit.”

It would be so easy to give in to the semi-humorous conclusion that Celestine V simply embodies the Peter Principle wherein someone rises to the level of his or her incompetence. Thankfully Sweeney does not take the easy route, but unfortunately he does entertain Dante's opinion of Peter's abdication: “... I looked and I beheld the shade of him/ Who made through cowardice the great refusal.” As if tagging Peter with cowardice was not enough, Sweeney goes on to say Dante's refusal to explicitly name Peter as the object of this derision was, according to the Dante Encyclopedia, Dante's way of emphasizing Peter's “complete lack of character.” However, I disagree with that assessment even as I know full well there is not now nor will there ever be any encyclopedia based on my ruminations. To me any conclusions stoning Peter for cowardice or lack of character or “pusillanimous irresponsibility” are conclusions formulated from an improper or unfair or incomplete (can you tell I'm struggling here for the right word?) frame of reference.

Peter Morrone loved the Catholic Church. It was that love which prompted Peter to send a letter of “apocalyptic foreboding” to the College of Cardinals when that esteemed body could not decide on a new pope after more than two years of deliberations following the death of Pope Nicholas IV, warning them they were duty bound by the future of the Church to elect a Pope without further delay. Unfortunately for Peter, his letter “inspired” the dean of the sacred college, Latino Malabranca Orsini, to successfully nominate Peter Morrone as the next pope. One can only imagine Peter's reaction when he got the news: “Say what?”

Peter Morrone did not love the catholic church. In fact, until he became Pope Celestine V I doubt Peter even knew the catholic church. He didn't know the depths of the political maneuvering and posturing so prevalent within the church. He didn't know of the vast administrative and fiscal responsibilities of the church. In fact, if there were an encyclopedia based on my ruminations it would explain how Peter fell into the crevasse between “religion” and “we-ligion.” His religion was important to him; it embodied his personal relationship with Christ/God. However, the social context of that religion - “we-ligion” according to my encyclopedia - was a near-complete mystery to Peter (don't forget he was a hermit!) until he became Pope. No doubt he became aware of and frustrated by the numerous self-serving factions lobbying for advantage. No doubt he had a moment where he stepped back and thought “what does all this have to do with the love of Christ?” A return to Onofrio to love Christ the best way he knew how seemed the only acceptable course of action.

So if we look at Peter's decision from the point of view of his “we-ligion” - i.e., the catholic church – then yes, we would conclude his time as pope was a complete failure, a carnival of incompetence. However, viewed from the vantage point of Peter's “religion,” he made the best possible decision after weighing his Catholic Church against the catholic church. For him, and from his perspective, for us, the former is ultimately much more important than the latter.

However, if you still can't be satisfied without chastising anyone with being a coward or being completely devoid of character, what say you direct your ire towards Celestine's successor, Boniface VIII? How courageous was he, placing the man formerly known as Pope Celestine V under house-arrest and mistreating him to the point of death? Shouldn't Boniface VIII be the hopeless shade meandering about Hell for all eternity? That's where he is according to my encyclopedia.
favorites4 s Kris182 28

I thought that this book sounded very interesting. It is about Peter Morrone, the pope who quit. A hermit, a reformer, an instigator, a prophet, a cowerd, a saint, and possible murder victim... it all depends on who you talk to. That really made me interested in the book, which I received for free through Goodreads and was able to read before it hit stores 2/14/12.

After I got the book in the mail I realized that I might not be the ideal reviewer they are looking for thought because the book is by Image Catholic Books and I am an atheist, but here are my thoughts.

Growing up in an Anabaptist background I had taken church history in Mennonite school, so I know a bit about this time period in church history.

I would recommend this book to Catholics because if you are going to be catholic I think you should know your church history. I would also recommend this book to all Christians because the Catholics, if you are going to be a christian you should know church history.first-reads own4 s Truls Ljungström1,246 13

Denna biografi är kontextualiserande snarare än djup. Den ger en bred förståelse för läget i det kyrkliga Italien kring 1200-talets första år, och sätter Peter di Morrones framgång som religiös ledare och misslyckande som påve i ett sammanhang genom detta. Boken är inte illa skriven, men tyvärr är det det bästa som kan sägas om den. biografier-medeltid2 s Robin96 3

Written before Benedict XVI (in fact, the author, which I found rather amusing, firmly stated that despite the many rumors about Benedict's retirement that he would never do such a thing), stepped down, "The Pope Who Quit" is a historical study of Celestine V, the (previously) only pope to do the unthinkable--step down from this holy--and powerful--office. His legacy is a divisive one. On the one hand, Celestine became St. Celestine V in the years after his death and was celebrated as a man too holy for this world. On the other hand, history has been a harsh critic, with Dante himself placing (an admittedly nameless) Celestine in the vestibule of Hell in "Inferno" and numerous other critics labeling him as weak or stupid. Author Jon Sweeney sought to study the character of this short-lasting pope to determine both Celestine's real character as well as his abdication's impact on the papacy and Christianity as a whole.

This seems to be a big task for a book that's relatively short, just about 250 pages. But Sweeney's greatest challenge is not the volume of material, it's the lack thereof. Most of the information about Peter's pre-Holy Father life comes from his Autobiography, which is written in both first and third person, making it questionable not only if Peter wrote the entirety of the work but if he wrote any of it. Many of his other sources are considered hagiography (which are the writings of the life of a saint. Just wanted to save you some time in looking it up, because I had to), which are hardly unbiased. Still, Sweeney pieces together the evidence he has, while also using the culture of the medieval period and of the Catholic Church to make educated assumptions. Sweeney doesn't make wild speculation, which is always appreciated.

Still this is less of a study of a person as much as it is the study of a very critical time in Church history. World powers were starting to strain under the authority of the Church, while the Pope was seeking to extend his power. The Church was divided and corrupted, with the most powerful Cardinals seeking to glorify their power-seeking families rather than God, while zealots St. Francis of Assissi sought to bring a spiritual awakening to the Church. The Church was a few popes away from facing the Great Schism, during which different popes vied for power for decades, and the conflict was quickly paving the way for the future Reformation. Sweeney sets the scene for us, of a Church in desperate need for unity and revival, looking to reclusive monk Peter Morrone for salvation. No wonder the Church was puzzled by Celestine's seeming lack of ability to lead and disappointed at his short-lived reign

And here is where Sweeney slips. His final assessment of Celestine V is critical--that he was unable to cope with the task and instead chose to save his soul rather than the Church. But I felt Sweeney's whole work showed the inevitable truth that Celestine would never have been able to "save" the Church from itself. The politics and culture of the Church were too ingrained for a simple friar to make much of an impact. And such high expectation could never have been fulfilled. So Celestine is a rather tragic figure--a man of great faith, doomed to failure as a pope, trying to seek God in his little hermitage he built in the basement of sumptuous palace he lived in.

Overall, I enjoyed Sweeney's writing but disagreed with his final premise. However, this was an excellent cultural study of the Church in the Medieval period and of a simple, godly man who simply wished to be at peace worshiping God, even if it meant giving up the seat of St. Peter.2 s Matt4 3

Jon Sweeney shows himself to be a master story teller in this biographical account of Franciscan Peter Morrone, who became Pope Celestine V.

Inspired in part by recent references to this legendary Pope who resigned from office only months after taking on the job (most notably by Benedict XVI), Sweeney weaves a tale of inspiration and intrigue surrounding this man who entered the Papacy with a vision of purity of heart and purpose only to leave that vision behind months later and ultimately suffering (allegedly) death at the hands of his successor.

Sweeney bring his own voice to this read and picks up every nuance that a reader may even miss, so the audio is definitely an expansion of the experience of this title. This one goes to the top of my list of recommendations. You can find the CD here, Franciscan Media and the downloadable version here, Audible dot com.2 s Shanna371 10

Actual Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Review:
I actually did enjoy this book on the whole. It was well told, and gave insight into a rather turbulent time for the Catholic Church. However, I did have a few issues with it, which why I felt I couldn’t give it a full 5-star rating (the issues, however, did only deserve 1.5 stars removed because they’re not terrible issues, just some things that confused me).
First was how it was structured. For a 250-page book (excluding the Notes, Acknowledgments, and Index sections, I felt that putting it into four different parts was a little unnecessary; 2 parts at most, I think,would have been fine. And then each chapter had little subsections within them, which is fine in books with longer page counts and longer chapters - it, again, seems a little unnecessary for a 250-page book.
Second was how - in the way I read the book, at least - the focus seemed to be more on the people and events around Celestine V rather than the man himself. It’s understandable in the sense that a lot of these things were (and are) connected, but it shouldn’t have drawn the focus away from Celestine V.
I do recommend this as a read, though, since it was very interesting1 Summerfire216 5

Whether from a lack of sources or the fact that this was simply not a history text in the truest sense of the word, this was extremely flimsy. Facts were thin on the ground. A lot of speculating, a lot of emoting about Celestine V's piety, etc. Didn't realize this was a Catholic imprint when I bought it, foolish me. We get things suddenly introducing the idea that maybe we don't actually have his body??? In two throwaway lines with no previous indication that this was a thing?? My dude. Just admit you're a religious writer and not a writer of history and move on. The entire last chapter could have been cut in half. I literally didn't even know where he was going with some of the commentary.
The moments I could forget the dumb of what the writing was doing, I enjoyed, marginally. But you also lied, sir. Scandal and murder in the subtitle? A light flavoring, nothing more.
Read if you're religious, otherwise you'll probably just be annoyed. I'm sure there are much better papal accounts out there, if not as long, but only because of the babbling nonsense of 2/3 of this book.1 Greg654 97

Peter Morrone, who in an unly twist was raised late in his life to the papacy as Celestine V, until the recent abdication of Benedict the XVI, was the only Pope to abdicate his office. The question of why is an interesting one, and it is a question that Sweeney sets out to answer.

There are many positives with this book. First, the story is a truly interesting one. Morrone was an influential spiritual ascetic. Following in the grand tradition of the desert fathers, he retreated to the foothills of northern Italy to live a purely spiritual, hermit existence. The reputation of his holiness spread, and he attracted many . Fearing another great schism, he confronted the paralysis of the cardinals in selecting a pope with a strongly worded letter. Unexpectedly, they elected him to the papacy. He did not want the office, was not very good at it, and therefore abdicated. This is the simplistic story.

Sweeney weaves together a tale larger than Celestine V, one that talks about the historical context of the situation. He talks about how Nicholas II had declared Church independence from the state in 1059, with election to be made solely by the cardinals and without influence from the outside, but in 1292, this declaration was still not being enforced. (34) He talks about the interference of Charles II and the political ambitions of which Celestine V appeared to be completely ignorant and incapable of confronting on equal terms. He talks about very real threats of physical violence during such elections as well as afterwards, noting the examples of the election of Pope Damasus I in 366, which resulted in an attack on the of the chief competitor and required the intervention of Roman troops. The election of Leo V was so contentious in 903 that 3 months after he was elected he was strangled by the antipope. Riots broke out in 1378 on the death of Pope Gregory XI. (39) Giles of Rome in the 13th century had inferred that even fallible men became a saint in the office of the Pope. However, there were many examples of men who were not so influenced. Examples would be Stephen VI, who exhumed his predecessor’s rotting corpse for a trial. John XII was a particularly bad example, who ordered executions, turned the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran into a brother, and was murdered by the husband of his mistress. Benedict IX sold his office then tried to reclaim it. (47) “Celestine V was the latest, and for many, the last, hope of those who believed that a man could wield both political and spiritual power and rule the one apostolic Church and the world with the wisdom of King Solomon and the compassion of Christ.” (226) This hope became the tragedy, as it became abundantly clear that he had no interest in wielding this power, humbly attempting to live his life much as he had before the papacy.

The man who would become Boniface VIII is much maligned in the book. Sweeney constructs a largely circumstantial case that implies Boniface VIII first proposed Morrone’s election, then whispered thoughts of abdication in his ear, only to cement his own election to the papacy. As the only man following the abdication of a living Pope, he perceived in the living Celestine V as a threat to his own papacy, should the abdication be reconsidered. He therefore placed Morrone under house arrest at his personal estate, the evidence would say in much discomfort, until his death.

The book does range a bit from the central topic. The narrative history flows disjointedly, given the very brief period of events, and tries to weave a tapestry of history and intrigue. There is much gossip in the book, and this I found somewhat off-putting. Ultimately, however, I did learn what I think is the full story from this book, and it is a story worth learning.
non-fiction religion1 Rich Stone49

Picked this up on a whim at the library and it was an easy and enjoyable read.

The subject of the book is Peter Morrone who became Pope Celestine V in August of 1294 at age 84 and resigned in December of the same year. Peter was best known for living a contemplative, hermit- existence for well over half of his life which was unusual for Popes during that period who characteristically were far more involved with church and secular politics. It should be noted that very few sources exist that comment on the hermit stage of Morrone's life and the author handles this by indicating when he is speculating and by providing some interesting contextual information about the papacy and politics during this general time period (13th Century).

Celestine's papacy is not a successful one. His selection comes after he writes a somewhat apocolyptic letter to the cardinals responsible for choosing a new pope after they have been deadlocked for over a year. Oddly enough Peter (Celestine) is chosen basically by acclimation after receipt of this letter. He eschews the grand "coronations" characteristic of the times and decides to reside humbly in Naples as opposed to Rome. To make a long story short, Charles II's (of Naples) influence over Celestine coupled with Celestine's lack of interest in mundane day to day administrative tasks expected from a pope does not result in a successful papacy. After roughly 15 weeks Celestine quits (unprecedented for a Pope) and is imprisoned for the remaining 1-2 years of his life. The author speculates that Celestine's successor (Boniface VIII) may have participated actively or at least passively in hastening Celestine's death.

Since it was unprecedented Celestine's resignation drew mixed reactions from contemporaries. Although he is not explicitly identified in Dante's Inferno as Celestine a shade is encountered outside the first ring of hell who's described as one "who made through cowardice the great refusal". If this is Celestine he's in a very unflattering place for a former pope. Conversely, in 1313 Pope Clement V canonizes Celestine V.

The author pursues a speculative line of thought that this rejection of a pious pope may have contributed to the negative events impacting the Roman Church over the next couple of centuries - the exile of the papacy to Avignon, the schism (multiple popes), and eventually the reformation.

One interesting side note. The book was written in 2012 and the author makes the point that the illness John Paul II suffered late in his life must have tempted him to consider resigning (he of course did not). Ironically, his successor (Benedict XVI) became the second pope to resign in 2013 so if the author could have waited for another year he would have had a better modern comparison.history-christianity history-medieval1 Mark McTague452 7

Having read laudatory and critical online, I would say the truth of the book lies with both. It is a broad overview of the papacy and church politics of the late medieval period, and as such is interesting to readers unacquainted with the period (as I was). Sweeney describes with fair clarity not only some changes in the process of papal election but also church and lay persons involved, as well as the interests that were served. I found my own view of the modern Catholic church and its leaders echoed in Sweeney's description of the period. The Church leaders' subject and avowed interest may be spiritual, but their methods and actions are as political as any government administration's. And for those unacquainted with Church history who felt shock at the sex abuse and money laundering scandals of the past 30-40 years, Sweeney's book shows that such moral failings at high levels are nothing new. So for those reasons I enjoyed the book.

However, as one reviewer has described well, a clear, intimate portrait of Peter Morrone, Pope Celestive V, suffers as a result of the attention given to the larger historical context. At times the Pope seems to fade from view. This may be an artifact of the sources available. Sweeney made use of numerous secondary sources (various biographies of Morrone and histories of the period), but one wonders how detailed the primary documents were on Morrone.

Overall, I'd say Sweeney struck a rough balance between the man and his epoch, and for a general reader wholly unfamiliar with the subject, I think the book delivers. As for the complaint that the book does not deliver on the promise of a tale "as exciting and compelling as any novel or film," I would agree. This is no DaVinci Code, but then again, that back-cover line was from another reviewer of the book, a Jesuit writer, so the reader is advised to "consider the source."1 Alan350 6

Interesting medieval non-fiction story of Pope Celestine V, the only pontiff to ever voluntarily leave the position ... until earlier this year. A longer review can be found here: http://eyesandearsblog.blogspot.com/2...history-bio theology-religious1 Michel402 137

A well researched book on a fairly unimportant anecdote, it casts a harsh light on the papacy.
Interesting that it should be published by a Catholic publishing house.eleole history1 Richard Booth61 1 follower

Pietro di Morone of Abruzzi was a simple, minimally educated but literate, Benedictine monk-priest who decided that his vocation lay in the life of an eremite. He left the confines of the monastery, therefore, and moved to remote mountain areas, living alone in a cave. Other monks began to follow his lead and when sufficient numbers became eremitic, he began his own Papal-sanctioned branch of the Benedictine order. Living an extremely sacrificial life, he spent his days and nights fasting and praying. Becoming quite well-known for his sanctity and divestiture of worldly and monastic comforts, people began to come within the temple of his quietude. Pietro was an inward man for the most part; however, he was also a critic of problems within the Church, about which he wrote letters. Pietro lived in a time during which the authority of the Church alone was intermingling with new scientific discoveries and empirical evidence. Universities were being built in greater numbers, which was only one of many social changes occurring in his time. He lived contemporaneously with St. Francis of Assisi, the first official stigmatic, Bonaventure, Franciscan philosopher Roger Bacon, Averroes, and other notables. Nicholas IV was the Bishop of Rome and died during a period of secular preoccupations and movement away from Christian principles. It was within this general setting that the cardinal-electors thought about the remote eremite as the successor of Nicholas. Part of their motivation was to re-ignite spiritual fires within Christians, but another was to use Pietro as a bridge to the pope who would follow him. Pietro was an octogenarian hermit when elected Pope. His reign went badly, since he was not inclined toward money, bureaucracy, or personnel management. In the end, he resigned. The only other Pope to resign or retire was Benedict XVI in the 21st Century.
Selecting Pietro for the throne of St. Peter was an error soon regretted. His personality and interests simply did not fit the role of Church leader, albeit he had created and led his own order for many years. Interestingly, after a prolonged conclave, Pietro (Celestine V) was vocally acclaimed Pope “quasi ex inspiratione,” or out of personal inspiration on the part of an elector.
The author recreates a real historical being in Celestine V, including his sanctity, limitations, strengths, and overall character. There is a very good reckoning of the 1200s that comes to life in this book. It is well-written and well-sourced, with limitations acknowledged. For those interested in history, particularly ecclesial and cultural history, this book is recommended. A world is resurrected through words here. The author does an excellent job.
Jennifer3

This book is, at best, two stars. Probably more one and a half. Let me preface this by saying I have a master's degree in medieval history, so I'm not the audience this book was aimed at. I have read a lot of non-academic works about medieval history and most of them are great but this one falls into some serious pitfalls when it comes to sources and making broad historical statements. First of all, the premise of the story is that Celestine V is the only pope who ever "quit". That's simply not true. It is true that this book was published before the abdication of Benedict XVI but before that there are several popes, especially during the period that the papacy is in Avignon, that renounced their seats. There are a number of popes who are forced to renounce in the 900s ad and then in 1045 Benedict IX is the first pope we have reliable evidence for renouncing his seat for a period of time. For quite a number of years the popes played musical chairs with each other.
Sources are an issue with this book. The majority are secondary sources that don't really relate to the topic of the book. On top of that, it appears that the author thinks its ok to use nearly all his primary sources in translation. Its definitely ok to have some sources in translation for languages you don't read but his sources are all Italian/Latin and all in translation. If you want to publish a genuine historical account learn how to read the original sources.
He also makes a statement in the beginning about how Celestine V's monks were not the forerunners of Martin Luther and that the mendicants were not really considered heretics by the Church at large. This seems interesting to me because he contradicts the statement several pages later talking about how hermits Celestine sought the solace of god through personal contact with him. There is a long heritage in the Middles Ages of mystical worship that eventually, and theologically, turns into the thesis Martin Luther nails up on the church door in Wittenberg.
I'm sure the author's faith is genuine but his writing and sourcing leaves me wondering if he has any understanding of how the actual Middle Ages worked beyond what he's read in his high school history book. Becky Dimock84 3

Wow. So boring. All the people who described this as "gripping" "compelling" "great storytelling" or "exciting" must lead incredibly dull lives, be high on crack, or accidentally reviewed a different book.

The writing is also ALL over the place - following tangents, going backward and forward in time; it's ridiculous. The actual plot - as in the events that I thought the book would be about - moves about as fast as a snail on the sidewalk during the polar vortex. Also, you're told the whole basic plot about three times in the first 50 pages. Why would I keep reading?

And yet I slogged through. It took me forever to finish this thing because I could only handle about 5 pages at a time. I'm sure my local library will be thrilled to be given this fabulous text as a donation. My apologies, Taylor library. Yes, I'm just using you to get rid of my garbage. Maybe some other unsuspecting soul will buy it at the Friends of the Library sale and the library will get a buck to spend on fish food. Money better spent than buying this book.

I'm giving it two stars because he clearly did a lot of research and because I've read worse writing. But bear in mind that I'm a technical writer who edits stuff written by developers (no offense to my development team, whom I love) day in and day out, so it's a pretty slow track.

In summary: Boring, hard to follow yawnfest. history Micaela202 64

An interesting topic, but the author's approach is more contemplative than wholly scholarly, which isn't what I was hoping for. There is much discussion of "the world of Peter Morrone," speculation regarding the uncertainties of the historical record (in particular the question of whether the ex-pope was murdered and how both hypothetical murderer and victim might have felt about that), and the implications of Peter/Celestine's abdication for both historical and modern faithful, without sufficient engagement with other scholarly opinions until the very last chapter. There is just too much of the author's relationship with the historical figure, and too little objectivity left to the reader. Essentially, this is a decent work of popular history, but I wouldn't recommend it as a source on the life and historical importance of Pope Celestine V for an academic.historical nonfiction John1,674 39

One of those esoteric Catholic stories that you hold onto; the Holy Prepuce, Cadaver Synod, Borgias, the Pornocracy and Pope Joan legend.

This is the story of Peter of Morrone a hermit and founder of a Franciscan style order who became Celestine V, in order to avoid an antipope. He wanted to reform the church, make it more frugal and more run by the cardinals then by the supreme pontiff.

He failed abysmally, and retired. He claimed he wasn't suited for the role and that in quitting he saved his soul.

It's not a very thrilling or captivating--but the book was optioned by HBO. It might make good fodder for the Young/New Pope series. Mark56 1 follower

Excellent, balanced treatment of the life, resignation, death and legacy of Celestine V. Discounting the common, simplistic interpretation that Peter of Morrone was an incompetent ignoramus, completely out of his depth as Supreme Pontiff, Sweeney shows a far more nuanced view of events and circumstances, without any hint of hero-worship that biographers sometimes fall into. My only argument against might be that Sweeney overestimates the EFFECTS of that resignation. But still it remains an enjoyable read, and points the way, in certain respects, to Benedict XVI's own resignation 719 years later.catholicism Juliette1,150 7

This was a fascinating book depicting the life of Peter Marrone, Pope Celestine V. My only problem with the book was my expectation. The book is about 249 pages long and I would say 15-20% focused on Celestine V himself. There was a lot of integral background information about the history of the church, royalty of the time, and followed the papacy after he was replaced. I just wanted more information about the man himself. I know, this is a "me" problem.
One of the things that Sweeney touched on that I really wish he would write a book on is St. Bridget of Sweden. I am swimming through multiple books on her and wouldn't mind an author I'm already familiar with. Stephen Dutton65

Written in 2013. He makes a very big deal about how quitting the Papacy is so unknown and strange. I got to page 147, “Most recently, pope Benedict XVI did not include an actual coronation in his installation ceremony.“

And good thing because he quit next year, 2014. So, I stopping read further.

Also this “Pope Who Quit“ was not the only pope who quit. There were at least three Popes who quit before him.

I very rarely don’t finish reading a book, usually soldier stubbornly on. Carefully read the subtitle and note that this is a tale, more than it is history. Hildie Johnson144

This book was at times very engaging, and at others, quite boring. It was interesting to read about this poor Pope, and the people and times he lived in, but in the end I just felt weird and rather sorry for Celestine V, which is maybe what the author was going for. If you are interested in Papal history, this is a snapshot of one of the more curious Popes ever and a nice, little overview of the Medieval world. Otherwise, this is just a footnote in the larger Medieval goings-on, and you can skip this read. M505

This was a very interesting book about the first Pope to quit the papacy back in 1294. He only served for 15 weeks. Was he a failure or was he more devout than his predecessors? He was 85 and a hermit before he became Pope. Didn't the politics that came with the papacy and just wanted to go back to his cave. On his way back, his successor captured him, threw him in a prison cell, where he died 5 months later. Was he poisioned? Starved? Natural causes? Much speculation abounds.i-own-this-book Kenneth31 10 Read

Interesting look at Peter Marone and his hermit existence. His untimely appointment as Pope, untimely for him, and the manipulations around him by church and state. Then again he may have been the perfect man with the perfect message for church and state at the time. I told a friend about his story while she was headed to Abruzzo and she sent back pictures of his room in the hermit community he founded in the mountains! Jennifer574 14

While a well-researched and written biography of Celestine V (Peter of Morrone), I was expecting more of an investigation into the scandal surrounding Celestine's resignation. Not a bad book, by any means, but not quite what I wanted.

That said, Sweeney is meticulous in his research, and careful not to classify or imply as fact any questionable theories. I appreciate that in a biography.history-and-biography theology Damien Rappuhn141 8

A fun and interesting story of a unique and interesting case in the medieval ages. Some of my favorite quotes include those to the effect of: "Will we ever see a pope abdicate in our lifetime? Probably not." (It was written around 2009/2010 after Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the tomb of Celestine V).refectory-reading Jordan49

An okay story about an interesting Pope which ultimately shows we don't have enough information to actually write a book about him. Provides cursory and eclectic information about the Church and Europe at the time, plus references to modern developments on certain issues. With some speculation thrown in to round it out to short/mid length book status. Trang99 1 follower

It seems as if only 10 pages were truly about this Pope. If anything, this book confirms that organized religion and papacy are fraught with the same corruption and greediness as Washington DC and Moscow. Popes murdering popes for power...and one wonders why millions, if not billions, follow so blindly. Nicole852 96

Very readable, but it suffers from having been published before Benedict XVI abdicated as well, so the many repetitions of "the only pope to ever resign" and the author's outright statement that Benedict wouldn't resign are jarring. There's also a lot of what-ifs and guesses, although the author does a good job of labeling them as such. history-and-biography nonfiction read-in-2019 Connor44 1 follower

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