His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time
by Carl Bernstein, Marco Politi
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Book Summary Information
Author: Carl Bernstein, Marco PolitiEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Large Print
Published: 1997-05
ISBN: 0786210508
Number of pages: 853
Publisher: Thorndike Pr
Book Reviews of His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time
Book Review: Critically objective but respectful
Summary: 5 Stars
Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi have written an excellent portrait of Karol Woytyla - both the man and the pope. The authors are objective about John Paul II's world vision, triumphs, shortcomings and place in history while being respectful at the same time.
"His Holiness" is not for those enthralled by the now deceased Woytyla's charisma who may interpret critically objective discourse as being anti-Catholic. The book fairly chronicles Woytyla's clashes with feminists both inside and outside the Church, his critical view of the values of the richer, "decadent" Western nations, and his attempts to crush all who did not share his viewpoints on Church doctrine.
The authors hint that Woytyla may have been reexamining his stance on the role of women and papal infallibility in the last years of his papacy. But the book was published in 1996. In it the authors note: "A principal problem facing John Paul II's papacy continues to be democracy in his own house.... (C)an a pope who championed democratic rights in Poland and all over the world continue to run the Church as an absolute monarchy?" I sincerely wish the authors will return to examine the last nine years of Woytyla's life.
I have never agreed on Woytyla's policies on contraception, divorce, the role of women in the Catholic Church, homosexuals and papal infallibility. But there is no question in my mind that the man was brilliant; his achievements were monumental in upholding the dignity of the human being, in fighting for freedom, and in reconciling with the world's other great religions.
And his constant, well publicized travels served a critical need. As the authors write:
"His very presence in the most desolate parts of the world provided a spark of hope for people in misery. For men and women trapped in the shantytowns and barrios of the Third World, the arrival of John Paul II sometimes offered the first significant testimony to their existence as human beings, the only time in their lives when their wretched living conditions were presented to the court of public opinion in their own countries and around the world."
Pope John Paul II "The Great"? Yes, without a doubt.
Pope John Paul II "the saint"? I'm not so sure.
Summary of His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time
NonfictionLarge Print EditionA gripping, meticulously researched biography that places the reader inside the corridors of power in Rome, Moscow and Washington, D.C. San Francisco Chronicle* A New York Times BestsellerPulitzer Prize-winner Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi, the dean of Vatican journalists, combine their substantial abilities to show how Kremlin elders struggled in vain to overcome the alarming power and influence that Pope John Paul II had on Eastern Europe. The Pope had become the inspiration and protection of Solidarity, and after a meeting in Rome with then-president Ronald Reagan, the pair committed the vast resources of two superpowers one spiritual, the other strategic to hastening the demise of communism. Compelling journalism, drama, history, and biography, His Holiness, reveals the real story behind the end of the cold war and a definitive portrait of a great moral leader of our time.Was the fall of Communism a direct result of a covert confederation between the U.S. government and the Vatican? So claim reporters Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi in His Holiness. Citing meetings between Pope John Paul II and high-level officials in the Reagan administration--including William Casey, director of the C.I.A.--they point to a "secret alliance" as the factor that sealed the collapse of Communism. The evidence marshaled by Bernstein and Politi--ranging from formerly secret American diplomatic cables to formerly secret Soviet Politburo minutei--doesn't always justify their bold conclusion, but it does provide plenty of new information about a key set of events in modern history.
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