La popessa

"When the white smoke swirled from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, the world knew it has a new pope: Eugenio Cardianl Pacelli was now Pope Pius XII. What the world did not know was that it had also acquired a "popessa"-a tiny, beautiful, brilliant nun named Sister Pascalina, who wielded a secret and unprecedented power. She was the Pope's aide, his housekeeper, his confidante, his adviser, his surrogate mother, and, in critical times, his conscience." -- Dust jacket. Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-315) and index. 325 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : portraits ; 24 cm