Published initially in Italian, and later in English, the book takes a highly critical view of Pope Francis and his papacy over the Catholic Church.

The book contends to be "the inside story of the most tyrannical and unprincipled papacy of modern times," arguing that Pope Francis, while presenting himself as humble, rules over the Church through fear and has allied to some of the most corrupt elements in the Vatican.

"[2] The book states that much of the controversy surrounding the Synod on the Family was a product of the St. Gallen Group's desire to change Catholic moral teaching as it applied to giving Holy Communion to the divorced.

[2] Also discussed are the Vatican's interventions in the cases of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the firing of three members of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (which Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller protested against).

[2] According to The Australian, outside of theological concerns, a major topic in the book is the failure of Pope Francis' papacy when it comes to financial reform and the elimination of corruption in the Vatican.

[4] It also discusses the police raid and subsequent confiscation of a large number of documents from the offices of Pope Francis-appointed Auditor General Libero Milone, who was forced to step down in September 2017 in murky circumstances.

[2] Hitchens questioned the author about the book's claim of a "disappeared report" by Peter Hans Kolvenbach, former Superior General of the Society of Jesus, which allegedly stated that a younger Pope Francis was "unsuitable" to be made a bishop because of "character defects".

[11] Lawler stated that the book "is the product of a great deal of solid reporting", but criticised it for failing to provide evidence for its more extreme or implausible claims.