Emile Zola

Rome Illustrated Emile Zola

Three years after his visit to Lourdes, Abbé Pierre Froment has written an ecumenical work, New Rome, that has been placed on the Index. In an attempt to have this veto lifted he travels to Rome, where he is subjected to a variety of subtle delaying tactics designed to bring him to contrition and resignation. His enforced wait, which stretches into months, is a pretext for the novelist to develop a finely-documented travelogue, as we accompany the priest to every corner of the Eternal City. Pierre Froment at length obtains an audience with Pope Leo XIII. Will the Holy Father recognize the worth of this book, and the relevance of progressive thought to the priestly vocation?