This book is beautiful from several perspectives. As a Catholic, I delighted in the glimpses of the Holy Father's journey through time and around the world. While certainly not a photography connoisseur in any sense, I thought the photos themselves were works of art and their large glossy reproduction enhanced their effect. I really enjoy the weight and texture of large 'coffee table' books printed on such good paper. The text accompanying the photos was a great, if (necessarily) short, history of the Pope and the Vatican up to 1996, which does not stray too far into debate over politics / theology / Church policy, without making the mistake of avoiding mention of controversy all together. I find myself going back to look at particular images, as they convey a great sense of the Church alive, even in countries where she is persecuted. The book as a whole left me with a much more visual sense of the Pope's mission and a greater respect for him as a man and a pontiff. I loved this book and while I don't, unfortunately, own it yet, I will buy it if I get the chance.

This photojournalistic presentation of the pontiff is the best tribute to this spiritual giant of our day. An award-winning news photographer and an accomplished journalist together have brought out the best of Pope John Paul II through this documentation in words and images. There are, as many as 135 previously unpublished photographs in color, of the Pontiff from 1978 to 1995. Each of these photos by Gianni Giansanti, is a work of art in itself and all of them together take one deep into the personality of the Pope. The text written by Marco Tosatti who has accompanied the Pope on his pastoral visits for 14 years, is filled with information unavailable elsewhere. The book is organized into three sections: the Vatican, Private Life and Papal Travels. There is also an introduction that gives some biographical details of the Pope. This book paints a complete and true-to-life portrait of a Pope who has made a remarkable impact upon our times.

... think "lots of highly intelligent people with recognizable names give their best parting words of advice to graduates"... it reads like quick snippets from commencement addresses that these people may well have given at some point. The words are true and often poetic and full of hope for aspiring young people. The phrase "sage advice" wants to work its way in here somewhere. What I wonder is... is this a book that young graduates will WANT to read? I appreciate it as a resource to offer with students I work with, but I'm also 5 years out... I'm sure I would not have picked this up to read straight through at 21. If you sat through your own graduation speaker, chances are you don't have a burning need to read through 15 more mini-speeches that offer the same basic "make your mark on the world" challenge. This is the book parents and well-wishers give to grads, though I'm not sure they're gonna read, so that's why I gave it 4 stars.

I haven't even read this book and I know it's good. How do I know? Because Madeline L'Engle's in it!

Fr. Champlin has taken an innovation by Pope John Paul II and made it accessible to the devotion of those who walk the Way of The Cross in Lent. Basing each Station of The Cross on the passage from Scripture that covers the entire Passion and not just beginning at the condemnation and ending at the entombment this work takes on the character of "Lectio Divina". We are called to enter into the Scriptural passage and meditate on its implications for us.

The Stations of the Cross with Pope John Paul II is a version that uses the modern Biblical stations with a 15th station, the resurrection. My personal bias is that the 15th station in inappropriate during Lent, that the resurrection should not be celebrated until the Triduum Easter vigil.

This version in terms of gesture and music is one of the more traditional versions. It assumes a communal celebration with Leader, Reader and "All". Each station begins with a short responsory and genuflection, the reader proclaims a scriptural passage related to the station, all kneel and the leader reads a short meditation applying the suffering of Christ at the station to our lives, the people respond with a short psalm excerpt, all stand and sing a verse of the Stabat Mater. Each station is accompanied by a line drawing.

David Yallop exposes the chief suspects in the mysterious death of Albino Luciani, the shortest reigning pope in nearly 400 years. Luciani, known as Pope John Paul I, proposed doctrinal and hierarchical changes that may have motivated six men to murder him in late September 1978. After reading this book, it is clear there is more to the story than the official account, and it is also interesting to wonder how Catholicism would be different today if Luciani had served as pope for the last 23 years.

If you have not read this book, READ IT! Albino Luciani (John Paul I)was the last chance the Church had of being put on the right track, someone who would work for the people..... instead, the Vatican has ended up working for the corrupt and illegal societies round the world namely P2 and the Mafia. The fact that John Paul I has been erased from Vatican history is evident in the list of Popes in the Vatican City, where John Paul I is not even on the list. Sure, he ruled only for 30 days, but he was still elected Pope. The unanswered questions in this book can only lead you to believe that similar happenings are still going on in the church and when you read the book, its stikes as amazing (and scary) at how fast a society like P2 can grow in power.... if you think they are gone, think twice.... they are probably stronger than ever, with people in high places all round the world influencing political decisions and many other important decisions with only one thing in mind... POWER.... The fact that Albino Luciani was FOR contraception is surely evidence that this man was a thinker who made decisions based on the current cicumstances and times, and that if his policies had gone through, we would have less problems with over-population and sexually transmitted diseases. Albino Luciani would have been a reformer, a good man who would have done much good for the Church. I am not a believer myself, but his death seems to have put the church back rather than forward..... How can you possibly argue against contraception in this day and age?!!! People should read this book and know what happened, and encourage the church to take on the right path... not the path of curruption... We are already ruled by greedy self driven politicians, whereas the church should be a place of neutral stance, it has become as corrupt as the political systems that rule us...

David Yallop investigates the circumstances surrounding the untimely death of Pope John Paul and reveals disturbing connections between his enemies in the Vatican and some of the most influential and violent members of the underworld. It is a classic story of "the tyranny of evil men", revealing the worst kind of corruption within the church, while detailing the life of a simple and beautiful man of the cloth who never had aspirations to be pope. It is a crime that this book is out of print, because it is well written and well-researched, and Mr. Yallop is very obviously passionate about his desire to uncover one of most henious cover-ups since the assassination of JFK. A must for any true conspiracy theorist.

This is, for anybody Catholic or non-Catholic who is interested in the Pope, a good read. But the book is flawed by a full jar of political intrigue. I would buy it, but for the story of the man, not the story of the CIA files on him.

Pope John Paul caught the world's attention with his work to end communism in Central Europe. I am not a Catholic, but I have the utmost regard for what this man has accomplished. The title of this book gives away the author's regard for him also. The Americans give credit for the fall of communism to former Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev, especially in the video series 'Biography of the Millennium' done by A&E, but without the Pope's knowledge of the Central Europeans it would have just been a dream of theirs. I read this book with a great deal of relief that it had been published during the Pope's lifetime. He would probably regard the historical oversight of his work with less frustration than many of his supporters.

This book, which uses the subject's life as a framework for reviewing events and political philosophies leading up to the millenium, has much to recommend it to the general reader..... One need not be intimidated by its size and scope; it's extremely readable and consistently fascinating. As a non-Catholic, I was surprised to learn how very complex and interesting this man Wojtyla is, and, like the movie "Titanic", the inside story of Poland's liberation is exciting, even though one pretty much already knows how it's going to turn out!.... I was also intrigued by the material in the book detailing the origins of the Pope's unpopular views on women and sex, and by the author's discussion of methods used by John Paul II in his struggle against Soviet tyranny as contrasted to those employed by our own government..... While I don't know whether I believe Kwitny's conclusions about the irresistible force of high moral courage -- will the Pope's methods work for the Dalai Lama against the Red Chinese without Star Wars waiting in the wings?? -- I certainly want to believe them, and the evidence marshalled in Man of the Century is both convincing and inspiring.

At least in the West we don't tell people how to think, unlike Catholicism and Communism. Besides what has religion ever done for anyone on this planet anyhow? NOTHING! Fear of going to hell is the only thing which compels people to "believe" in Him. Also what kind of omnipotent God would create Satan? Wouldn't a perfect God know that Lucifer would turn evil before he created him, and shouldn't God be able to destroy him then? It doesn't seem like God is very omnipotent. Why did God have to instruct Noah to build an ark to save everyone, couldn't God have just snapped his fingers and made it happen? And how could Noah fit two of every insect, bird, clam, sperm whale, grizzly bear, polar bear, arctic fox, penguin, and whatnot on this planet into his boat? And how did all these animals find their way to Noah's Ark? And where did all these different races of people come from? Did Noah take a black man, white man, yellow man, red man, or whatever on his boat too? Lastly, what kind of fool would believe the Bible is actually God's word? The bible was written by people, and it's been hacked-up, edited, re-printed, and re-translated countless number of times throughout the ages. Bibles are printed in dirty factories and then later sold for profit at KMart, they didn't come from God.

To quote a certain philospher: "There was a time when religion ruled the world, it was called The Dark Ages."

As a lapsed fundementalist, I read this book with some detatchment yet not without interest. I 100% agree with martin's analyis of Marxism/Leninism which is not dead but has for some time now been operating on a cultural front. Martin's take on the reforms of Vatican II, likewise was enlightening --I had only heard about them through the media. I find nothing controversial about this book. If the Christian faith is true, it is to be expected that duplicity and falsehood and worse come with the territory; was not Judas one of the twelve? If on the other hand there is no God then the Roman Catholic church (heirarchy) is the prize, for as Martin suggests it is the sole organization capable of uniting the world. Consider the example of Auguste Comte, one of the founders of sociology and professed atheist, he promoted 'science' and hated the christian religion yet at the same time, he venerated catholicism. (Dostoyevsky's Grand Inquisitor (the Brother's Karamazov)also comes to mind regarding the Roman Catholicism's unique position in the world. Reading this book has not only, increased my admiration for Pope John Paul II, but I also am thankful for the author.

Malachi Martin's work is a veritable "tour de force." With authority (he was one of the world's foremost Vatican Scholars), skill and erudtion he meticulously traces the geopolitical ambitions of Rome from beginning, i.e. Christ's alleged comments to Peter that upon him the church would be built, to end where the Vatican winds up in charge of the One World Government. Martin posits that anyone who was under the age of 70 at the time this book was written would be alive to see the day when the nation-state, as we know it, would cease to exist.

What will be most surprising to most readers is how intimately involved the Papacy is in world politics, all for the purpose of establishing the Catholic Church as the One World Government. (See Revelation 13, 17).

Whether or not Pope John Paul II turns out to be the eventual ruler of the One World Order is irrelevant. Dr. Martin's book goes into exhaustive detail how this Pope, more than any of his predecessors in this century, has worked feverishly to keep the Vatican on the world stage as a major player. Karol Woytila has had a clear-eyed view of what the church's role should be in world affairs dating back to the time when he was a priest during the Second World War working undercover for the US Government. He learned well at the feet of the master in this regard; Stephen Cardinal Wysinzski took the young cleric under his wing during the formative years of his priesthood, and the account of his tutelage of Woytila is spellbinding.

Readers will be fascinated to learn just how much the Vatican was behind the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, and just how closely the US and Vatican work on foreign policy issues.

This book could very well be subtitled "Prophecy Made Clear by Modern Events." John Paul II is the "Servant of the Grand Design;" papal hegemonist ambitions are in plain view. A blockbuster!!

....

Strident and doctrinaire. This book combines the worst qualities of Feminism and fundamentalism. Janet Smith should use Ockham's Razor!

In this, her first book, university professor Janet Smith presents a philosophical and theological understanding of Pope Paul VI's controversial 1968 encyclical 'Humanae Vitae' ('On Human Life'). The 370 densely packed pages of text are divided into eight chapters and four appendices.

In the first chapter Dr. Smith gives a very brief historical overview of the Church's consistent condemnation of contraception whenever the issue arose. It was not until 1930 that the Anglican Church's Lambeth Conference "broke ranks with nearly the whole of the traditional Christian opposition to contraception" when it permitted its use by married couples "for grave reasons." Pope Pius XI responded with an encyclical entitled 'Casti Cannubi' that reiterated the opposition, encouraged elevated notions of conjugal love and parenthood, and explained that confining conjugal acts to known infertility periods, for right reasons, was morally permissible. Some Catholic theologians began opposing the teaching in 1963 and by 1966 it was the major moral issue troubling the Church. Smith claims this came about because of the development of the Pill and social changes rather than from philosophical deliberations. She spends the bulk of the chapter examining the arguments of a papal commission divided over the issue in the years just prior to 'Humanae Vitae.'

Smith begins chapter two by stating, "'Humanae Vitae,' depends on a Christian understanding of the nature or meaning of marriage and in particular on a Christian understanding of the importance of the marital gift of having children" (p.36). She then examines Catholic teaching on this matter as found in 'Casti Cannubi' and relevant portions of the Vatican II document 'Gaudium et Spes.' In these documents she notices the beginnings of a shift in terminology and emphasis, from focusing on the "ends" of marriage to more "personalist values" (i.e. goods that benefit the human person as distinct from values that protect other goods --- such as the good of society or respect for the laws of nature).

In chapters three and four she analyzes 'Humanae Vitae' itself. Chapter three reviews how the encyclical deals with arguments advanced in favour of contraception, especially those based on the principle of totality (i.e. "that under certain circumstances it is morally permissible to sacrifice the good of a part for the good of the whole"). She claims that most have misunderstood the type of natural law argument used in the teaching and so in chapter four concentrates on four arguments against contraception based on these natural law principles. One argument, in syllogistic form, is: "(1) It is wrong to impede the procreative power of actions that are ordained by their nature to the generation of a new human life (2) Contraception impedes the procreative power of actions that are ordained by their nature to the generation of new human life (3) Therefore, contraception is wrong" (p.99). Smith gives expansive explanation to each argument; in this particular case pointing out how it doesn't simply condemn contraception as the violation of a physiological act but as violating its integrity as a "human act." She points out how the argument depends on a recognition of the "intrinsic worth of human life" that affects both how we treat living human beings and the very process by which they come into being. She also addresses arguments that say there is no difference between contraception and natural family planning.

Chapter five presents theological considerations. It looks at scriptural foundations for the teaching. While no explicit "Thou shalt not contracept" reference can be made (just as no explicit condemnation of the direct bombing of civilian sites can be found) nevertheless four biblical themes "provide strong evidence that contraception does not fit within God's plan for human sexuality. These are (1) the extreme value given to procreation, (2) the portrayal of sterility as a great curse, (3) the condemnation of all sexual acts that are not designed to protect the good of procreation, and (4) the likening of Christ's relationship to His Church to that of a bridegroom to his bride, a union that is meant to be a fecund relationship, one that will bring forth many sons and daughters of God" (p. 130). The first point is highlighted early in Genesis (1:27-28), where man is created male and female to image God in His creative powers (p.130). Smith also explores the encyclicals use of the term "munus" (i.e. mission) as relating to God's wanting to share the goods of His kingdom and entrusting spouses with the mission of participating with Him in the work of bringing new life into the world. She also looks at the authoritative nature of 'Humanae Vitae' and the role of conscience.

Chapter six begins the consideration of the aftermath of the encyclical and the arguments of early dissenters. Chapter eight gives an exposition of Pope John Paul II's justification of the teaching in terms of conjugal love as a total self-giving that requires self-mastery of one's passions. The appendices include a new translation of the encyclical, a commentary on the text, and a critique of the work of some leading theological exponents of the teaching.

Smith's work is exceptional. She presents the arguments of her opponents fairly and is not party to caricatures or character assassinations. Her own arguments are sound and, I think, convincing. But, alas, I fear in this area especially, human intellects are guided more by the will than vice versa; which in turn is easily overpowered by the concupiscent passions. The ideological battle was early lost. We have, almost literally, sown our seed to the wind and now reap the whirlwind. Man has always had difficulty maintaining a high, unselfish view and standard in sexual relations. Frank Sheed once observed that "men have shown only too clearly that what they do not reverence, they will profane." Conjugal love has been drastically profaned and with it marriage, family, relations between the sexes, even the intrinsic worth of human life. We are so far gone I do not see how sanity or sanctity will ever return.

In my opinion, this book should be considered the classic text on contraception, as believed by the Roman Catholic Church. Janet Smith outlines a series of different arguments against contraception, and shows how they are all rooted in the classic Catholic view of human nature. The strength of this book is its thorough description of human nature and Natural Law, as understood in the Catholic Tradition. I'd thus rank this book highly as a general book on Natural Law, and the some of the theological anthropology implicit in it. Without such an understanding of human nature it is very difficult to understand the problems with contraception. By point of contrast, she critiques the 'contra-life will' arguement proposed by Grisez etc. One feature that I found particularly useful was her analysis of how contraception has affected society, and the link between contraception and divorce. One warning: this book is for the serious student. However, it lays out the principles it builds on, and when I first read it was able to understand it even though the material was all new to me.

BREAKING FAITH is an interesting book by an author who generated quite a bit of controversy with his recent book on Pius XII.

While many of his positions are not in line with the officials teachings of the church and its authorities, Mr. Cornwell succeeds in outlining key points of controversy among Catholics. While many critics would characterize the author as anti-Catholic, it is difficult to ignore the issues confronting the roman catholic church today. Whether you label yourself as a conservative, a progressive, even a surviving member of liberation theology, the book is valuable in presenting a point of view held not only by Mr. Cornwell, but by many members of the church.

'Breaking Faith' is John Cornwell's essay about the Church being torn out between two contradictory movements. On the one hand, exclusivity - the belief that Church is the infallible and only way to salvation, and that its teaching are God's truth, and thus objectively correct. On the other hand, the Pluralism of the Western world, where secularism and respect for other beliefs are consistently preached, though inconsistently practiced.

Cornwell does not hide his views - he is a Liberal, and this book is written from a Liberal perspective. But the bias is easy enough to overcome, as the issues are the same for both conservatives and liberals.

In a short, easy to read and Journalistic book (unfortunately lacking the substantial scholarship of Cornwell's better known HITLER'S POPE), Cornwell presents some main areas of conflict in the Church - including the issues of homosexuality, the truth of other religions, papal infallibility and the making of saints. In each, essentially the same battle is fought - between the pluralists and the conservatives.

The subtitle of the book I hold in my hand is 'Can the Catholic Church Save itself?' The answer if obviously yes - the Roman Catholic Church is the oldest institution of mankind. It has survived the fall of an Empire, the disappearance and reappearance of science, immense corruption, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. It has survived loss of Earthly power and two world wars, the rise of Nationalism, Fascism, Communism and Capitalism. It will survive this age and its problems as well.

The question is, what will it do to survive, and where will it survive. Cronwell believes that the Church should open up, be more pluralistic, inclusionist and down to earth. He believes it must change.

Personally, I think he is wrong. If the Church will surrender the mysticism and exclusionism it currently practice, it will lose much of its power over its believers. Like reform Jews, relaxed Catholics will merge into the general Judeo-Christianity of the Western world. The pluralists are lost to the Church on any event - it is the core believers who will remain with the Church in the future. The Fundamentalists and conservatives are the basis, the 'loyal consumers' of the Church, if you will, and it is them it must guard. The growth of the Church must inevitably take place in the less pluralistic parts of the world - the third world. There, the zeitgeist is probably more suitable for an exclusionist Church then in the Western world.

One interesting question, that Cornwell fails to explore, is whether there will develop an official movement, whose members will consider themselves Catholics but refuse to follow dictates from Rome. In an unorganized fashion, this is true already, witness the case of 'Dogma' director, Kevin Smith. Smith's movie is critical of basic Catholic themes and ideas, and would certainly not be sanctioned by the conservative official Church. But Smith considers himself Catholic nonetheless. Will we see churches which will carry out things the official Church does not approve (like ordaining women priests), and yet still regard themselves as Catholic? And how will the Church react to such churches? Certainly, if there will only be a small number of such churches, the Vatican will ex-communicate them. But how will the Papacy react to a large movement of self proclaimed Catholics who disregard official Catholic preaching?

Another interesting question is the high human cost of the Church's principled conservative stand. How many people suffer from AIDS because the Church refuses to sanction condom in Africa? How many people in the West suffer from the much tamer problems of the conflict between their Church and their society? And, perhaps most importantly, can the Church, while maintaining the general hard line, find a way to reach out for these people and elevate their misery?

You will find no answers to these questions in this book. Ultimately, those are questions for Catholics to figure out, while outsiders such as myself watch with great interest. Frankly, I am not quite sure what outcome I prefer, but I learned much from this book and, whether conservative of liberal or not even Catholic, I think you will too.

The Crisis of Hierarchy

John Cornwell's new book, BREAKING FAITH, juxtaposes the author's deep, personal, and moral concerns with the policies of the Vatican and Pope John Paul II's backward-looking position. Exploring step by step such burning issues as sexuality, marriage, the role of women, and the frozen hierarchical structure of, the Catholic Church, Cornwell's book demonstrates the need for institutional change. Like HITLER'S POPE, calling attention to the autocratic rule and tragic misjudgment of Pope Pius XII, BREAKING FAITH reveals that beyond any doubt, beyond any counter-argument, beyond, and even despite of, any mystical consideration, the Church must react to what has become its moral crisis. Using powerful arguments, the narration reveals how human greed, power-hunger, self-importance, self-righteousness, and fear of modernity have amalgamated with ancient convictions, perceptions, and rituals of the divine, and how this mixture of religious practice and doctrine has been preserved, acted upon, and reinforced by those in power over the years.

The sweeping force of Cornwell's arguments also draws from the author's use of aesthetic shaping. Just like HITLER'S POPE, BRAKING FAITH reveals a literary structure that is rare in the world of contemporary historical investigations. Its underlying compositional element is a complex polyphonic interweaving of such distinctly diverging strains as the personal-vulnerable, the large spiritual issues of the tradition, and some of the gnawing moral concerns of our time. Such polyphonic treatment underlies also the chapter structures of the volume. Arriving at the incinerator of the monastery almost at the end of the book and thus evoking the fires of the Inquisition, the narration counteracts our expectation of the forward moving motion of history. Since the image of fire and ashes also recalls the Holocaust, the text evokes both the recent and distant past, the shadows of which seem to still fall on the Catholic Church. Also, with the penultimate chapter carrying the title of "Returning," the narration reiterates, and thereby culminates in, the issue of "strict hierarchy," which, as Cornwell argues, is the cause for the crisis that must be dealt with if the Church is to survive. Echoing this theme throughout, the narration enacts symbol and intellectual argument with equal urgency.

BREAKING FAITH is a major study, shedding light on the Church's conflict between past and future.

Rocco Buttiglione is an absolute cretin. A servile henchman of the cancerous worldwide catholic lobby and a junior partner in Berlusconi's neofascist bloc, he contents himself with the few crumbs that fall from his master's table... like a faithful, mangy little dog. May Jah have mercy upon him and upon the misguided souls who have nothing better to do than to read his insignificant works.

The book is hard to understand not only in philosophical thought but also some polish history would help.
As a casual reader I found the book to be more of a task then I wanted.
A challenge is good if you have the patience for the subject mater. I rated the book high because it was well written and informative but a little over my head. I simply didn't have the back round knowledge I needed to get full understanding.
There are other books on Pope John Paul 2 that would be more beneficial for the causal reader.

The reader seeking to understand the thinking of Pope John Paul II will find no better introduction than this remarkable book. Buttiglione is a major philosopher in his own right--as if evident from his careful discussions of Adorno, Sartre, Marx, and other thinkers he brings into dialogue with Wojtyla. Highly recommended.

...theologically anyway. But before dealing with that it would be beneficial to review its strengths.

For one thing, it is a comprehensive work. There is evidence throughout that the author sought to write as complete a biography as possible and clocking in at around 750 pages, the detail is not lacking. The portrait of Giovanni Battista Montini the man is well sketched and his gifts made readily apparent to the reader. The author believes that Pope Paul was "the most naturally talented man to become pope in this century" and if he is referring to all around then I can certainly concur with him. The problem though is that the papacy requires more then that to properly function. Paul from the biographies I have read of him - and Hebblethwaithe follows suit with them - sketches a portrait of a man who on paper is almost overqualified to be pope (if that was at all possible) excelling in his knowledge of Canon Law, the history of the Ecumenical Councils, and Church history in general. (Not to mention being schooled in the field of journalism.) An intellectual who could relate to average people, who was kind, compassionate, charitable, and longsuffering. (And from a pastoral standpoint a great priest.) Physically frail in health from his earliest years Paul VI was still able to accomplish much more then it would seem task-wise. An excellent listener who enjoyed philosophical discourse and dialogue with the belief that the truth would ultimately win out. A dialoguist who could weigh the pros and cons of opposing sides and do so equitably. Adding to these the element of patience and sensitivity of all viewpoints and Paul had the makings of a great diplomat.

Hebblethwaithe documents well Paul's service to - and admiration of - Pius XII and treats the latter pope reasonably well: though he seems to think Pius XI was a diplomatic blunderer. (There is a clear preference shown to John XXIII over both of them.) He details well Pope Paul's meetings with Patriarch Athengoras and other leaders both religious and secular. I am trying to think of what else can be said in under 1,000 words about a 750 page book. (In these situations space constraints are not of assistance.)

It has been said in the Conclave that after the election the consensus of him was that he was "John with Pacelli's [Pius XII] brains". But even taking into account all of the relevant factors, it is difficult to see how anyone could say that his reign could be anything better then "average" historically. Hebblethwaithe's sketch reveals the human side of Paul through his successes and also his failings. (Not to mention the tremendous sufferings physically and spiritually that he underwent in the exercise of his ministry.)

It helps now to know that the author is an "ex-Jesuit" because it fills in several question marks that cropped up when I read the book. His treatment of the subject of the minority at the Second Vatican Council is not as balanced as it could be. (The author almost makes it seem that any concessions made by Paul VI to the minority party was the result of conspiracy and certain prelates "getting to Paul" rather then Paul acting as he did out of a sense of personal principle.) The treatment of the Council could have been more thorough as well since that was the defining event and constant reference point for the rest of Pope Paul's pontificate.

There were a few points of theology where the author showed his grasp of the issues as specious. He makes two theological blunders by presuming that the Mystical Body and the Catholic Church affiliation would have to "be overcome by Vatican II" - an absurd notion and one not sanctioned by the documents of Vatican II. (The second was the assertion that the treatment of the Mystical Body in the encyclical somehow did not account for the presence of sin: another superficial commentary on the encyclical's content.) He also shows almost a disdain for the encyclical letter Mysterium Fidei: seemingly any attempt of the Pope to not endorse the "newer and therefore better" whatever it happened to be (and regardless of its relative merits) permeates this work in various spots.

Two more encyclicals that do not meet with the authors approval are Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (on priestly celibacy) and Humanae Vitae. On the latter the author pulls out the kind of kook conspiracy theories that are common to fringe extremists to try and "justify" themselves. (Particularly when it comes to Cardinal Ottaviani in this instance.) It is pretty clear that he did not like Paul's teaching in the latter two encyclicals or the judgment Paul had the CDF issue on women priests. The author for the most part is pretty fair but on the examples above there is a clear bias. The sketch he makes of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was also not flattering but frankly Lefebvre brought a lot of his problems on himself. (In that context Hebblethwaithe details Pope Paul's patience with Lefebvre very well.) Throughout the ups and downs of the book (which technically is written well and reads well) we receive a detailed sketch of Paul the pope and Montini the man.

In short, this is a good book but it is not without its problems. Two biographies not used by Hebblethwaithe are in this writers opinion superior works page for page. One is Roy MacGregor-Hastie's 1964 biography on Paul VI (approx. 210 pages). Another is Alden Hatch's biography "Pope Paul VI" which is about 400 pages. Either work is better then this one but this one is still worth a read too if you have the time and if deficiencies such as the ones noted above are taken into account.

Because I believe Paul VI was by far the greatest Poper ever and thanks to his tireless efforts there is a Church today that sounds realistic to the world, I welcome this book that I bought back in 1993. The missing star is because, in my view, the author does not follow enough in Paul's sanctity. I recommend that any interested party goes over his prayers, and they will find that his deep intellectual skills were based and sustained upon an impressive spiritual life.

Before reading this I tended to label Paul VI unfairly has a highly 'conservative' Pope who wrote 'Humane Vitae'. Having read this I realised that he wrote this encyledal partly because he thought he would be betraying the Church in the face of theological history and partly out of fear as to what it would lead to. He was also a highly complex man prone to fits of depression, and yet in some ways a warm and caring man. Like the US President Lyndon Johnson, Paul VI has suffered unfairly partly due to having a highly popular predessor. Sadly in Paul VI's case he also had a highly popular successor partly due to the shortness of his reign.