2023-10-13 15:17:57
The Pope’s Great Escape
Michel Cool
Quasar, 168 p., 17 €
His name is Hyacinthe, he is pope, and he has disappeared. This is what Gérard Bessière told, with humor and a touch of mischief, in 1972 in a book published by Desclée de Brouwer. In 2011, Cardinal Melville was elected pope and disappeared, in Nanni Moretti’s film, Pope. And we know that Pope Francis is not against some outings in the streets of Rome… And now in 2023, Pope John the Baptist is also running away! We must face the facts: the pope has disappeared. It took the verve of Michel Cool (1) and his knowledge of the papacy to return in his own way to the same starting point and create a lively, exhilarating novel.
But where has the Pope gone? “The popularity of Jean-Baptiste no longer needs to be demonstrated. But his unexpected eclipse created a worldwide emotion”, and gives free rein to the worst fantasies. And the enemies of the popular pope are having a field day: “This self-managed disappearance of the pope is comparable to a desertion of post”, some cardinals insinuate. Fortunately, the pope on the run has a few reliable friends, a young French journalist, an old monk friend…
The great escape will take the Pope to Picardy, a region steeped in history and well known to the author. This is an unexpected opportunity to go green and get back on your feet: the Pope is not immune to serious fatigue… How to get back on your feet? Without revealing the plot, the lesson comes from the weakest: “Fragility is the mystery of the presence of God in what is humble, vulnerable and small. »
Led with a bang, the pope’s escape is a smiling opportunity to reflect on the heavy responsibility of head of the Church. Steeped in Bergoglian spirit, the novel is not without a spiritual dimension. A great escape.
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