The Burden of the Lord

The newly elected pope Pius XIII, in the world an American named Lenny Belardo, behaves extremely independently, contrary to the expectations of the conclave. Upon ascending to the papal throne, he expresses his intention to realize his vision—to return the Catholic Church to its roots, when love for God was measured by fervor rather than the number of people at Mass, and suffering and self-sacrifice were paths to faith. The Church will no longer console and soothe; people must seek their own way to God. The new pope implements "unpleasant" reforms for the clergy, isolates himself from parishioners, and complicates the liturgical rites. At the same time, he is the only one bold enough to tackle long-standing issues in order to lead the Church to renewal.
The characters in this story, where the tragic and the funny are closely intertwined, seek the answer to a question important to every Christian: what is the burden of the Lord, and how to live one’s life with it. Scenes from the novel formed the basis for the famous television series "The Young Pope."