The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation

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 show more 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 interesting show less

The Pope Who Quit is the story of Celestine V, a monk who was elected to the Papacy through guile of those around him, who is the only Pope tho ever have quit the papacy before Benedict XIV. The story is that of a hermit monk who was a leader, but given only to the love of God and contemplation of His Goodness. Elected to be the Bishop of Rome he was not able to cope and quit the papacy. The book is well written and engrossed me immediately. I give it 3 1/2 stars

Documents the story of Pope Celestine V, evaluating the views of his supporters and detractors while tracing his progression to the papacy and his decision to abdicate months later, discussing his choice's impact on the Catholic Church.

From Goodreads: At the close of the tumultuous Middle Ages, there lived a man who seemed destined from birth to save the world. His name was Peter Morrone, a hermit, a founder of a religious order, and, depending on whom you talk to, a reformer, an instigator, a prophet, a coward, a saint, and possibly the victim of murder. A stroke of fate would, practically overnight, transform this humble servant of God into the most powerful man in the Catholic Church. Half a year later, he would be the only pope in history to abdicate the chair of St. Peter, an act that nearly brought the papacy to its knees. What led him to make that decision and what happened afterward would be shrouded in mystery for centuries. The Pope Who Quit pulls back the show more veil of secrecy on this dramatic time in history and showcases a story that involves deadly dealings, apocalyptic maneuverings, and papal intrigue. show less