The shroud of secrecy that has surrounded the Church of Rome has mystified and troubled millions of Catholics as well as Protestants and Jews. This book reveals how influential members of that Church are now ready to make their accommodation with a future under communism. The price of the Church's survival, they believe, must be a radical departure from Western institutions and the way of life we have all known. Opposed to them are other important officials who plead for a restoration of the Church to its proper role. The final decision taken by all these men who speak for one quarter of the world's population is made in the course of Conclave 82, a special meeting after the death of Paul 6 at which the next Pope is elected. From the beginning of the Seventies, many of the Cardinals have been electioneering. Very quickly, in The Final Conclave, Malachi Martin takes us behind the scenes to witness the forbidden maneuvering for Peter's crown and its worldly power. We learn why the sweeping changes of Paul 6, made - he was convinced - to assure the very survival of the Church, have pushed the Cardinals to one of the most critical decisions in our history...