Vatican Wealth, and a Pope's Pipe Dreams

Before Pope Francis, there was Pope Francisco. Never heard of him? That is because until now Pope Francisco existed only in the mind of his creator, Monsignor Robert L. Getz, the author of Vatican Wealth and a Pope's Pipe Dreams. Getz conceived the character of Pope Francisco in the early 1990s, at a time when it was unheard of that a pope might come from South America. If you are looking for escapism that will capture your imagination and inspire you, this book is for you. Vatican Wealth and a Pope’s Pipe Dreams is light-hearted, witty and provocative, and at other times complex as the subject matter itself. In Pipe Dreams, Getz is brilliant in the way he compels the reader to enter the dialogue as if you are there while decisions of the world are being weighed. The book opens with Archbishop Gutiérrez standing before the microphones of an international press corps where he announces to the world what Vatican insiders have come to call the pope’s pipe dreams. As he listens to the broadcast, the world seems to stand still for a weary Russian negotiator living in Moscow. Viktor Fiderev has waited a lifetime to bring peace to the world, and he wants to be the first to sign on. The Pope assembles an international team led by a South American archbishop whose key members include the atheistic Russian, an Argentinian agnostic and a Catholic laywoman from South Africa. The novel concludes with a twist as unpredictable as it is wise. The book’s powerful message comes at a time in human history when the inspiration generated may have a chance to make a difference.

Monsignor Robert Getz is an educator, a photojournalist, a spiritual leader, an author, civic leader and world traveler. He loves the outdoors, and travel. Getz has backpacked all over the desert southwest and Europe. He lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he is Pastor Emeritus of San Albino Church ? a 161-year-old parish that, during his tenure, he guided to its ranking of a basilica.