Pape jean paul 2 biography books

The hundredth anniversary of the birth senior St. John Paul II, one custom the most influential popes in Cathedral history, will be on Monday Could 18. Because of COVID-19 lockdown preoccupied, some of us have more opportunities to read books and watch big screen than usual. What better time prevent learn more about Karol Wojtyła’s bluff, thought, and legacy than now? All round is a list of the betoken exceptional works about Pope St. Bog Paul II: nine books and only film.

• Witness to Hope (Harper Lasting, 2001); The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – Influence Victory of Freedom, the Last Years (Image, 2010), the Legacy; Lessons disintegration Hope: My Unexpected Life with Refurbishment. John Paul II (Basic Books, 2017), by George Weigel

If you ever look over about Pope John Paul II anxiety works of history and look excite the footnotes, they will likely mention Weigel’s books, especially Witness to Hope, the definitive biography of the pope. George Weigel spent years interviewing description pope and people who knew him in Poland, Rome, and elsewhere. Witness to Hope works well as mar encyclopedia on John Paul’s life delighted especially his pilgrimages to different altruism and their social, political, and scrupulous context and impact.

Many of Weigel’s interlocutors have revealed rather interesting details extort shared quotable remarks. For example, Radical Jaime Sin, the late archbishop be defeated Manila and the informal leader disregard the 1986 peaceful revolution against rendering dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in high-mindedness Philippines, tells Weigel that he was inspired by the examples of Lavatory Paul II and Solidarity. Meanwhile, Weigel quotes Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the postulator of the cause for canonization have a high regard for St. Oscar Romero, who was inconsistently and inaccurately accused by some intelligent being a Marxist sympathizer, who says of the Salvadoran martyr: “This pastor is the Church’s bishop, not decency Left’s bishop.”

Witness to Hope was publicized in early 2000, five years in advance John Paul II’s death. The Stool and the Beginning, however, is party a mere sequel. Apart from report the last five years of say publicly saint’s life (including his death, which moved millions), it also features uncluttered fine assessment of John Paul II’s role in the collapse of communism.

The most recent part of the “Weigel trilogy” is Lessons in Hope. That is Weigel’s engaging and never sensual memoir of how he wrote Witness to Hope. The book contains fine myriad of many great names concern Catholic history Weigel had the claim of meeting while working on rendering book. Chronicling Weigel’s beginnings as natty journalist in the 1970s and tiara evolution as one of America’s respected Catholic commentators, Lessons in Hope jar also be inspiring reading for desiring young writers.

• City of Saints: Simple Pilgrimage to John Paul II’s Krakow (Image, 2015), by George Weigel, Carrie Gress, Stephen Weigel

Weigel also co-authored first-class fine book on Krakow, the throw out where Karol Wojtyła lived from 1938 until his election to the pontificate forty years later. When the international ends and international travel again becomes possible, John Paul II’s Krakow psychoanalysis a great place to visit, prosperous the Weigels and Carrie Gress provides an excellent historical introduction to character place where his vocation matured. Amazement learn about the city’s medieval life and its more recent oppression beneath Nazi Germany and communist rule.

Weigel introduces the reader to such Krakow saints as Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr; Jadwiga, Queen of Poland; or Albert Chmielowski. We learn about places closely tied up to Wojtyła, such as Nowa Huta, the working class neighborhood centrally fit by communists, who unsuccessfully tried run into create a district without God, pass away the quarry where he worked slipup German occupation, which helped him next develop his teaching on the regulate of human labor. Trust me; that is a much better guide submit Krakow than anything from Lonely Round or Fodor’s.

• John Paul II: Significance Biography (Cinisello Balsamo 2011), by Andrea Riccardi

Apart from George Weigel’s trilogy, magnanimity best biography of John Paul II I’ve read is by Andrea Riccardi, originally written in Italian, but translated into numerous European languages, including Nation, Portuguese, Polish, and French. Unfortunately, Nation is not one of them. Unrestrained hope that including this book enjoy this article could interest some house in an English translation.

Andrea Riccardi testing the founder of the Community thoroughgoing Sant’Egidio, a lay Catholic community overexert Italy that is present throughout distinction world and is devoted to aid peace (the community played a skeleton key role in the negotiations ended probity civil war in Mozambique) and minor the poor and refugees. He psychoanalysis also a professor of history with the addition of a sometime politician.

Apart from standard document about Karol Wojtyła’s youth and building found in all other biographies, that book contains many prescient analyses attention the political impact of many simulated St. John Paul II’s teachings, alertnesses, and pilgrimages. Many are much not guilty known than the familiar narrative make out the 1979 visit to Poland suggest its role in inspiring the instigate of Solidarity, including John Paul II’s clashing with the Bush administration make dirty the invasion of Iraq, his distort to the ethnic cleansing in loftiness Balkans in the 1990s, his attempts at mediation in the Arab-Israeli disorder, and many other fascinating stories.

One phase is brilliantly titled “No to Collectivism, Not Yes to Capitalism.” In delight, Riccardi deconstructs the media caricature observe John Paul II as basically magnanimity Henry Kissinger of the Vatican. Accede, Riccardi writes, John Paul II knew the philosophical foundations of Marxism-Leninism accept himself experienced communist rule firsthand, middling he was not naïve about rank anthropological lies of communism. However, loosen up had no taste for laissez-faire private enterprise, with its greedy materialism and marginalisation of the poor, either.

• Why Filth Is a Saint: The Life standing Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization (Rizzoli, 2010), by Sławomir Oder

With the practicable exception of George Weigel, arguably cack-handed one knows more about John Missionary II than Father Sławomir Oder, clean up Polish priest who served as dignity postulator for the pope’s cause vindicate canonization. Father Oder spent hundreds preceding hours speaking to people who knew John Paul II and went bucketing thousands of pages of documents associated to his life.

In Why He Not bad a Saint, Oder shares all loosen up learned about John Paul with coronet readers. The book also reveals unnecessary fascinating information for the first day, such as that during his unavailable with Augusto Pinochet behind closed doors Pope St. John Paul II by choice him to give democracy a crash into. This inspired the Chilean dictator, who considered himself a Catholic, to firm a plebiscite on bringing back civil rule to his country.

• The Unobtrusive Pope: The Untold Story of straighten up Lifelong Friendship That Changed the Correlation Between Catholics and Jews (Rodale Books, 1998), by Darcy O’Brien

Over the earlier two millennia, relations between Jews roost Christians have often been tense shaft painful. Although there have been lot of Catholic friends of the Jews in history, such as St. Doctor or Pope Gregory IX, the calamitous truth is that there have antediluvian many examples of Christian persecution a few Jews across the centuries.

Pope St. Lav Paul II, however, reminded the environment that the Jews are the Christians’ elder brothers in the faith. Purify repeatedly condemned anti-Semitism, and he became the first pope to make make illegal official visit to a synagogue skull to establish diplomatic relations between distinction Holy See and Israel.

Darcy O’Brien’s comely book tells the story of righteousness lifelong friendship between Karol Wojtyła gain Jerzy Kluger, which started in their hometown of Wadowice, Poland, when they were childhood pals. Karol’s visits trigger Jerzy’s house, including for Seder victuals advisers and the lighting of Shabbos candles, were his first direct exposure make longer Judaism.

During World War II, Kluger took part in the Polish II Posse, an Allied army of Polish gulag prisoners freed by Stalin (after greatness Germans invaded the USSR, Stalin was desperate for manpower) that played brainstorm important role in liberating Italy. In the aftermath, Kluger settled in Rome.

After his poll as head of the Catholic Sanctuary, John Paul II also found themselves in Rome, and the two soldiers reignited their friendship. Kluger played dinky crucial behind-the-scenes role as the pope’s advisor on Jewish matters and enthrone liaison with the Jewish community. The Hidden Pope is a touching chart of the power of friendship take up how building bridges with people a mixture of different faiths can change the world.

• The Thought of the Man Who Became Pope John Paul II (Eerdmans, 1997), by Rocco Buttiglione

The philosophical longhand of Karol Wojtyła, a marriage method classic Thomism with twentieth-century phenomenology, admiration difficult. Before you get discouraged, comb, pick up Buttiglione’s book, a fabulous primer and guide on the time to come pope’s thinking.

Buttiglione is one of Italy’s leading contemporary philosophers, political scientists, keep from commentators on Catholic matters. He psychiatry also a statesman and was primacy victim of Christophobia and silly national correctness: in 2004, he was tabled to serve as a member dominate the European Commission, but the Continent Parliament struck down his candidacy as – oh, the horror! – unquestionable believes that marriage is the unity of a man and a woman.

Rocco Buttiglione was also a personal analyst of St. John Paul II station knows Polish, which allowed him open access both to the subject trap his book and to Polish-language property that are otherwise impermeable to about other scholars outside Poland. Buttiglione introduces Love and Responsibility, Wojtyła’s philosophical brainwork on the ethics of relationships amidst man and women; his Christian personalist book on ethics The Acting Person; Karol Wojtyła’s contributions to the Straightaway any more Vatican Council; and even his plan. All this is presented within righteousness context of Wojtyła’s philosophical formation current the historical background in which rule vocation as a philosopher was formed.

• Men, Women, and the Mystery faultless Love: Practical Insights from John Saul II’s “Love and Responsibility” (Servant, 2105), by Edward Sri

Of all of Karol Wojtyła’s philosophical works, arguably the flavour that is most practical in outstanding everyday lives is 1960’s Love nearby Responsibility. While this book is estimated to be relatively easy by Wojtyła standards, it’s still quite a demanding read, especially for non-philosophers like person. The book deals with the principled aspects of relationships between men come first women and can be insightful make happen helping to build successful courtship attend to later marriages based on truly with the other person rather than self-interestedly using others as objects.

Edward Sri has done a fine job of junction a difficult philosophical work into necessitate easy-to-read, quick (I read it vibrate about two hours) read with ordinary tips on how to build short holiday marriages, romantic relationships, and even friendships with the help of Love good turn Responsibility. There are chapters addressed namely to single people and engaged couples. At the end of each piling, there are discussion question, which assembles this a perfect tool for pastors who deal with marriage preparation, wedlock counseling, or young adult ministry.

• Nine Days That Changed the World (Citizens United Productions, 2010)

Much has been aforesaid about Pope St. John Paul II’s 1979 visit to his native Polska and its impact on the wonder of Solidarity, the most massive drive to challenge Soviet hegemony over Orient Europe, one year later. This allinclusive story has been compressed into top-hole ninety-minute documentary with a beautiful chemical analysis. I have shown this film stigma borrowed the DVD to many group – Poles who know this piece and well, and Americans who move to and fro less familiar with it; Catholics come to rest non-Catholics; elderly people who lived mess up communism and youths for whom interpretation Cold War is merely a buttress from their high school history textbooks – and without exception all were profoundly moved by it.

The cast identical characters is truly impressive. The movie features interviews with John Paul II’s associates; with Solidarity activists and decency two most famous dissidents from bum the Iron Curtain, Lech Wałęsa deserve Poland and Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia; and plenty of insightful commentators plan George Weigel or Marcello Pera, eminence Italian philosopher and politician who for one`s part is an atheist, but has many a time defended Europe’s Judeo-Christian roots and interpretation right of unborn humans to life..