Lessons from Robert Langdon's first adventure

Today marks the last day for Pope Benedict XVI. Ever since he announced his resignation, Dan Brown's novel Angels & Demons keeps crossing my mind. In fact, it also crossed my mind when Pope John Paul II died. Why? Because the first Robert Langdon adventure penned by Dan Brown is more than just a thriller; it also offers a glimpse of how the pope is chosen.

Until I read it, I had no idea how a new pope was elected after the old passed away. But in the pages of Angels & Demons, the whole process was revealed.  The cardinals in conclave at the Sistine Chapel, their signals of black smoke to indicate no decision and white smoke to signal there was, along with much else, was revealed for the first time.   So when John Paul II died and Benedict XVI took his place, what to expect took the place of total ignorance. While Brown's novel has come under fire for its various alleged inaccuracies, he was spot-on in his depiction of papal selection.

Just one thing, though: In the novel, Brown claims most TV news crews do not go out on location. Instead, he depicts only a handful of news crews present in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican due to a lack of interest. Other venues claiming to have reporters there actually appeared in front of images projected onto a blue screen instead! I do hope Brown was just making that part up. Given the media blitz after John Paul II's passing, it is a good thing they ditched that plot element for the film version. In that take on the novel, every TV news outlet in the world is present at St. Peter's Square for the fictional conclave.       

Angels & Demons is a very gripping thriller, yes. But it also crackles with authenticity in its depiction of a papal conclave at the Vatican.   

Image credit courtesy Wikimedia.