Catholicism - Popes

 
The Pontiff in Winter
by John Cornwell
Over more than a quarter of a century, John Paul II has firmly set his stamp on the billion-member strong Catholic Church for future generations and he has become one of the most influential political figures in the world. His key role in the downfall of communism in Europe, as well as his apologies for the Catholic Church’s treatment of Jews and to victims of the Inquisition, racism, and religious wars, won him worldwide admiration. Yet his papacy has also been marked by what many perceive as misogyny, homophobia, and ecclesiastical tyranny. Some critics suggest that his perpetuation of the Church’s traditional hierarchical paternalism contributed to pedophiliac behavior in the priesthood and encouraged superiors to sweep the crimes under the carpet. The Pontiff in Winter brings John Paul’s complex, contradictory character into sharp focus.
 

 
John Paul the Great
by William Oddie
This book establishes clearly that Pope John Paul II is not only an historical figure whose actions and personal qualities have effected one of the great turning points in human affairs, but he is also one of those rare beings who possesses the vision and intensity of focus that compel the authors to say not only that he is an exceptional pope, but something much more: that here, truly, is Joannes Paulus Magnus: John Paul the Great. Far from being a reactionary, this has been a pope of startling originality and intellectual range, who has both led and inaugurated change as well as defended the tradition of the church. Besides his originality and his personal charisma, John Paul II has been a leader with great courage.

 
Pope Benedict XVI
by John L. Allen
Widely considered a conservative "enforcer of the faith," Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger may be the most important figure in the Catholic Church's rightward turn under John Paul II, and he will have major influence in the conclave that elects the next pope. Allen traces Ratzinger from his Bavarian boyhood "in Hitler's shadow," through a distinguished if stormy theological career and a rapid rise in the hierarchy, to his current position as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Allen responds to Ratzinger's recollections (e.g., Milestones , 1998) by carefully attending to documentary evidence and thus forges a balanced depiction of him. Ratzinger's experience of the radical student movement, Allen argues, affected his change from being generally progressive to conservatism. That conservatism shows tellingly in Ratzinger's relations with theological colleagues and his battles against liberation and feminist theologies.
 

 
Pope John Paul II
by The Poynter Institute
Pope John Paul II was one of the most significant world figures in the 20th century and one of the most famous popes in the history of the Catholic church. His unprecedented willingness to travel the world and his media savvy allowed him to reach over 1 billion Catholic parishioners in over 100 countries during his long tenure as pope. He drew huge crowds of devoted followers wherever he went, and no doubt many of them will seek to remember him long after his reign has ended. The Poynter Institute has put together a full-color collection of front page newspaper stories from the day of Pope John Paul II's death in order to chronicle the historic event. The book includes approximately 150 reproductions of front pages from newspapers in all 50 states in the United States plus major newspapers from around the world. The book includes the front pages from all over the U.S. and throughout the world, presented without comment as each newspaper remembers the pope in its own way.

 
Universal Father
by Garry O'Connor
Five years in the making, Universal Father is a vivid and scrupulously researched portrait of this extraordinary man. Beginning with Wojtyla’s trying childhood and his early years as a priest in rural Poland, and continuing on to his travels to Rome, and his subsequent papal reign, O’Connor’s biography is unparalleled for the attention it also gives to the inner man—including a subtle analysis of the pope’s own poems, plays, and philosophical works. An exploration of both the personal tragedies in the pope’s life, among them the assassination attempt in 1981, and the public triumphs, such as the great public confrontations with Soviet Communism in his native Poland, Universal Father is a revealing and profoundly moving testament.