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"Fascinating...sheds light on the history of the twentieth century for everyone."--New York Times Book Review Now, with an updated preface, the latest edition of the definitive biography of Pope John Paul II that explores how influential he was on the world stage and in some of the most historic events of the twentieth century that can still be felt today. Witness to Hope is the authoritative biography of one of the singular figures--some might argue the singular figure--of our time. With unprecedented cooperation from John Paul II and the people who knew and worked with him throughout his life, George Weigel offers a groundbreaking portrait of the Pope as a man, a thinker, and a leader whose religious convictions defined a new approach to world politics--and changed the course of history. As even his critics concede, John Paul II occupied a unique place on the world stage and put down intellectual markers that no one could ignore or avoid as humanity entered a new millennium fraught with possibility and danger. The Pope was a man of prodigious energy who played a crucial, yet insufficiently explored, role in some of the most momentous events of our time, including the collapse of European communism, the quest for peace in the Middle East, and the democratic transformation of Latin America. With an updated preface, this edition of Witness to Hope explains how this "man from a far country" did all of that, and much more--and what both his accomplishments and the unfinished business of his pontificate mean for the future of the Church and the world.… (more)
Witness to Hope is the authoritative biography of one of the singular figures—some might argue the singular figure—of our time. With unprecedented cooperation from John Paul II and the people who knew and worked with him throughout his life, George Weigel offers a groundbreaking portrait of the Pope as a man, a thinker, and a leader whose religious convictions defined a new approach to world politics—and changed the course of history. As even his critics concede, John Paul II occupied a unique place on the world stage and put down intellectual markers that no one could ignore or avoid as humanity entered a new millennium fraught with possibility and danger.
Witness to Hope; the Biography of John Paul II. George Weigel. 1999. I have never finished a book and wanted to start re-reading it, but this is what happened when I finished this book! I started reading it last spring when I watched a biographical movie on John Paul on EWTN. The fact that I read a few chapters and then stopped for a month of so has nothing to do with the subject or the author. It was just me. The book was over 900 pages and needed an occasional break. Weigel is a wonderful writer and the Lord knows, John Paul II is an awesome subject! And it is so much more than the life story of John Paul, II. It is a history of our modern world since the beginning of WWI, and it is so readable! My biggest regret is that my non-Catholic friends who like to read history won’t read this because the will think it just about a pope. Instead of starting to re-read it, I ordered the sequel, The End and the Beginning! ( )
An incredible story about one of the most important people of the last century. 3 stars because I felt that it got a little repetitive near the end and came a little close to hagiographic. Also - I found the audiobook version quite engaging and easy to follow. I think that reading it would have been a challenge. ( )
Weigel is a biased and dishonest writer. The entire book contains no reference to the Society of St Pius X, Lefebvre, or the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei adflicta. This shows either appalling judgment as to important issues, or deliberate skewing of issues. JP2 was a heroic man, undoubtedly a saint and i will rejoice in his canonisation, but information coming to light since his death reveals JP2's own lack of judgment in relation to Maciel and aberrant priests. These require deep consideration, and weigel showed no insight or perspicacity. He is but a fawning hagiographer peddling a party line for opus dei.
"Fascinating...sheds light on the history of the twentieth century for everyone."--New York Times Book Review Now, with an updated preface, the latest edition of the definitive biography of Pope John Paul II that explores how influential he was on the world stage and in some of the most historic events of the twentieth century that can still be felt today. Witness to Hope is the authoritative biography of one of the singular figures--some might argue the singular figure--of our time. With unprecedented cooperation from John Paul II and the people who knew and worked with him throughout his life, George Weigel offers a groundbreaking portrait of the Pope as a man, a thinker, and a leader whose religious convictions defined a new approach to world politics--and changed the course of history. As even his critics concede, John Paul II occupied a unique place on the world stage and put down intellectual markers that no one could ignore or avoid as humanity entered a new millennium fraught with possibility and danger. The Pope was a man of prodigious energy who played a crucial, yet insufficiently explored, role in some of the most momentous events of our time, including the collapse of European communism, the quest for peace in the Middle East, and the democratic transformation of Latin America. With an updated preface, this edition of Witness to Hope explains how this "man from a far country" did all of that, and much more--and what both his accomplishments and the unfinished business of his pontificate mean for the future of the Church and the world.
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