"Good News from the Vatican" is a 1971

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American author

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand ...

, featuring the election of a

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

to the position of

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

of the Church of Rome. It won that year's

Nebula Award for Best Short Story The Nebula Award for Best Short Story is a literary award assigned each year by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy short stories. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a short stor ...

Plot summary

The unnamed first person narrator is one of a group of tourists and travelers, including a Roman Catholic

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, who find themselves in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

during an unexpected

Papal conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the Apostolic succession, apostolic successor of Saint ...

to select a new Pope. The group gathers each day in an outdoor cafe close to

Saint Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighborhood (rione) of Borgo. Bot ...

to discuss their thoughts about the possibility of a robot Pope, likely since news reports indicate that the leading candidates, Cardinal Asciuga of Milan and Cardinal Carciofo of Genoa, are unable to garner majority support in the conclave. The narrator and the clergymen appear to be optimistic, but the other characters openly express their misgivings about a robot serving as Pope. White smoke, the traditional sign of a successful election, is seen and the robot appears on the balcony of

St Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal en ...

as the new Pope, taking the name of Pope Sixtus the Seventh. (To date, there have been only five real Popes of that name.) As the story ends, Pope Sixtus delivers a blessing, while flying through the air impelled by levitation jets.

Interpretation

According to ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

'', the story celebrates "the integration of the robot into human religious culture", but other critics have noted the satirical and ironic content of the story. Paul Brians points out that the story announces its satirical intent in the first paragraph, with the names of the competing Cardinals being the Italian words for "towel" and "

artichoke The globe artichoke (''Cynara cardunculus'' var. ''scolymus'' ),Rottenberg, A., and D. Zohary, 1996: "The wild ancestry of the cultivated artichoke." Genet. Res. Crop Evol. 43, 53–58. also known by the names French artichoke and green articho ...

", respectively.

Don D'Ammassa Donald Eugene D'Ammassa (born April 24, 1946) is an American fantasy, science fiction and horror critic and author.

Malcolm Edwards Malcolm John Edwards (born 3 December 1949) is a British editor and critic in the science fiction field. An alumnus of The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, he received his degree from the University of Cambridge. He was Deputy CEO at the Orion ...

categorizes this story as one of a group that Silverberg published in the early 1970s that were more experimental than his longer form work and were influenced by techniques employed by contemporary literary writers like

Donald Barthelme Donald Barthelme (April 7, 1931 – July 23, 1989) was an American short story writer and novelist known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction. Barthelme also worked as a newspaper reporter for the ''Houston Post'', was managing ...

and

Robert Coover Robert Lowell Coover (born February 4, 1932) is an American novelist, short story writer, and T.B. Stowell Professor Emeritus in Literary Arts at Brown University. He is generally considered a writer of fabulation and metafiction. Background C ...

. In these stories, Silverberg ironically reexamined traditional themes of science fiction.''Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day''. Ed. E. F. Bleiler. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1982. 505-511. Excerpted in ''Contemporary Literary Criticism''. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 140. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 340-397. ''Literature Criticism Online''. Gale.

Publications

The story was originally published in ''

Universe 1 ''Universe 1'' is an anthology of original science fiction short stories edited by Terry Carr, and illustrated by Alicia Austin, the initial volume in a Universe (anthology series), series of seventeen. It was first published in paperback by Ace Bo ...

'', an anthology of original science fiction stories edited by

Terry Carr Terry Gene Carr (February 19, 1937 – April 7, 1987) was an American science fiction fan, author, editor, and writing instructor. Background and discovery of fandom Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of San ...

. It has been widely anthologized since, including in ''Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year'' (1972), edited by

Lester del Rey Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science ...

, ''Nebula Awards Stories 7'' (1972), edited by

Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Lloyd Biggle Jr. (April 17, 1923 – September 12, 2002), was an American musician, author, and internationally known oral historian. Biography Biggle was born in 1923 in Waterloo, Iowa. He served in World War II as a communications sergeant i ...

, and '' The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction, 1960-1990'' (1999) edited by

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

and

Brian Attebery Brian Attebery (born December 1951) is an American writer and emeritus professor of English and philosophy at Idaho State University. He is known for his studies of fantasy literature, including ''The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: F ...

References

External links

* {{Nebula Award for Best Short Story 1971 short stories Short stories by Robert Silverberg Nebula Award for Best Short Story-winning works Religion in science fiction Short stories about robots

Plot summary

Interpretation

Publications

See also

References

External links