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A REPORTER LOOKS AT THE VATICAN by Barrett McGura Kirkus Star

A REPORTER LOOKS AT THE VATICAN

By

Publisher: Coward-McCann

What goes on in Rome in a subject of perennial interest. The coming Second Vatican Council, scheduled to convene in October, will heighten this natural curiosity about the center of Catholicism. Barrett McGurn, veteran Rome correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune, becomes the camera to an appreciation of present day Rome. In sprightly newspaper style he takes he reader behind the scenes and contrasts the Rome of XII and John XXIII. The facts are candidly given without undue coloration. The narration is spotted with explanation of customs, liturgical practices, and whatever references might be strange to anyone unfamiliar with the Church. Reporter McGurn builds in his story of the Vatican around the framework of the lives and achievements of the two Popes who have reigned during his tour of duty in Rome. The result is a pleasant and timely presentation of the role of the Pope in the world. A Catholic Book Club selection, A Reporter Looks At the Vatican will be among the more widely publicized volumes of the coming months.