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When Paul III was elected in 1534, hopes arose across Christendom that this pope would at last reform and reunite the Church. During his fifteen-year reign, though, Paul's engagement with reform was complex and contentious. A work of cultural history, this book explores how cultural narratives of honour and tradition, including how honour played out in politics, significantly constrained Pope Paul and his chosen reformers in framing strategies for change. Indeed, the reformers' programme would have undermined the culture of honour and weakened Rome's capacity to ward off current threats of invasion. The study makes a provocative case that Paul called the Council of Trent to contain reform rather than promote it. Nevertheless, Paul and the Council did sow seeds of reform that eventually became central to the Counter-Reformation. This book thus sheds new light on a pope whose relationship to reform has long been regarded as an enigma.
From the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe to his devotion to Mary to his championing of social justice and orthodox theology, this book examines Pope John Paul II's several moments of persuasive finesse as well as instances when his message could have been crafted more effectively. Written by Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, agnostics, and atheists, the chapters approach the Pope with varying degrees of admiration, but always with intellectual respect.
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "A remarkable book. Weigel's biography is likely to remain the standard one-volume reference on John Paul II for many years to come." — Pittsburg Post-Gazette ?“Fascinating. . . sheds light on the history of the twentieth century for everyone.” —New York Times Book Review The definitive biography of Pope John Paul II that explores how influential he was on the world stage and in some of the most historic events of the twentieth century that can still be felt today Witness to Hope is the authoritative biography of one of the singular figures—some might argue the singular figure—of our time. With unprecedented cooperation from John Paul II and the people wh...
Presents a biography of Karol Wojtyla, including his boyhood in Poland, his steps to the papacy, and his twenty-five years as Pope John Paul II.
The Late John Paul II was portrayed by admirers as one of history's great popes. But in The Pope in Winter, leading Vatican expert John Cornwell seriously questions the workings of his papacy and points to fundamental flaws - exacerbated by age and infirmity - that have alarming consequences for both the Catholic Church's future and John Paul II's successor.
The National Catholic Reporter editors have selected the most significant of Peter Hebblewaite's articles on the life and times and church of Pope John Paul II. They were stirring years of world change and papal trips and not a little controversy.
During his reign (1534-1549), Pope Paul III transformed Rome from a derelict town to a dignified and even triumphal city. This richly illustrated book uses mainly unpublished documentation to investigate a range of multi-media urban, architectural and artistic projects promoted by Paul III. It adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to deepen our knowledge of Rome's visual culture after the Sack of 1527, providing a nuanced and fresh understanding of the social, economic and political conditions underpinning the creation of celebrated masterpieces, like Michelangelo's Last Judgement or his design of the Campidoglio. This study - the first entirely dedicated to Rome during the pontificate of Pau...
Pope John Paul II was one of the pivotal figures of the last century, the spiritual head of more than one billion believers and a world statesman of immense stature and influence. Yet he remains a mystery - theologically, politically, and personally. Through unprecedented access to both the Pope himself and those close to him, veteran New York Times correspondent and award-winning author Tad Szulc delivers the definitive biography of John Paul II. This strikingly intimate portrait highlights the Polishness that shaped the Pope's mysticism and pragmatism, while providing a behind-the-scenes look at the significant events of his public and private life, including: the inside story of the negot...