Benedict XVI: Pope of Faith and Hope - Softcover

Hemming shows that Benedict s thought has had an important contribution to the theology and teachings of the Catholic Church, especially when he collaborated with Pope John Paul II. Benedict is a bright light that cannot be put under a bushel basket, and Hemming s book is a good introduction to Pope Benedict s life and thought. That it was written by a non-American provides a different cultural view to Pope Benedict XVI. The book is intended for the general reading public. curledup.com--curledup.com '...deserve(s) to be read with care by anyone who is concerned about the way the Church may go under the new Pope.'--Sanford Lakoff "The American Spectator " "His account of Joseph Ratzinger's personality and thought, however, is a model of fairness and balance. In "Benedict XVI: Fellow Worker for the Truth", he points out, correctly, that with regard to Vatican II Ratzinger is not the conservative people like Rose take him to be, but a radical. Benedict XVI views the council as a return to the church's roots in Scripture and tradition in its 2,000-year fullness."- John Jay Hughes, "America, "February 6, 2006--Sanford Lakoff

The Papacy is the oldest and the most successful institution in the world. Asking the Pope to abandon or water down Catholic doctrine would be like asking him to abolish his own office. Joseph Ratzinger has been the most powerful figures in the Catholic Chuirch after John Paul II for decades. It is entirely right that he should have the opportunity to serve the Church as Pope for he is so obviously head and shoulders above the rest. And yet Benedict XVI remains a mysterious figure, who has operated from behind closed doors-most recently the doors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of The Faith in Rome. There will be studies of Ratzinger's theology. Indeed there have already been such. But who is the man of flesh, blood and spirit behind the not so public persona. Laurence Paul Hemming has observed the Papacy and the events leading up to the election of the present Pope meticulously. He has written a charming and warm portrait of The Holy Father to make this highly intellectual man more accessible to a wide public. When Benedict XVI declared himself 'a simple and humble labourer in the Lord's vineyard' he gave the world an early indication of his style. A passionate defender of the Faith yet a man anxious to listen.