Karol Wojtila became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first Slavic pope in history. The year 1978 was the year of the three popes: Paul VI, John Paul I (only thirty-three days as pope), and John Paul II. He would serve as supreme pontiff for an incredible twenty-seven years.
Karol was a master of languages, studying Latin, Greek, German, Polish, Russian, and French. Later, he learned Italian and English. As pope, John Paul was very effective because he spoke to people in their language, and his listeners responded to him. I thought this to be a balanced summary of John Paul's life. I always wondered why the question of priests abusing children suddenly came up while Benedict was pope. However, this book indicates that there were rumblings, but John Paul did not respond. The rumblings rose to shouts during Benedict's term, and he could no longer ignore the calls for attention.
This book is meaty without added fluff. I lived through John Paul's pontificate, but this story ties all the threads together to form one cohesive and fascinating story. This author shows Pope John Paul's strengths and weaknesses, showing the humanity of a unique person who happened to be pope.
Karol was a master of languages, studying Latin, Greek, German, Polish, Russian, and French. Later, he learned Italian and English. As pope, John Paul was very effective because he spoke to people in their language, and his listeners responded to him. I thought this to be a balanced summary of John Paul's life. I always wondered why the question of priests abusing children suddenly came up while Benedict was pope. However, this book indicates that there were rumblings, but John Paul did not respond. The rumblings rose to shouts during Benedict's term, and he could no longer ignore the calls for attention.
This book is meaty without added fluff. I lived through John Paul's pontificate, but this story ties all the threads together to form one cohesive and fascinating story. This author shows Pope John Paul's strengths and weaknesses, showing the humanity of a unique person who happened to be pope.
