Author: His Holiness John Paul II
Translated from Italian by: Jenny McPhee and Martha McPhee
Pages: 229
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Rating: 10
Reviewer: David Miller
ISBN: 0-679-44058-5
Summary: a panoramic overview of the Pope's thoughts, in an accessible question and answer format.
This book started as a television interview, the first ever such interview of the Pope. However His Holiness was unable to do the interview, and instead began writing his answers to the various questions. These answers became this book, released in 1994.
Each chapter starts with a question, or leading statement, from the interviewer. The question is then followed by a series of short passages forming the Pope's answer and his other thoughts on the subject. It seems to me that each such passage was jotted down when the Pope had some time, or was thinking about that issue.
The resulting book is an invigorating read. The Pope's prose is direct, simple, and pithy. Each chapter is relatively short. The Pope mostly talks about official church positions, but often weaves in his own life story, and stories about his own formation.
Some of the material covered by the questions and answers: the role of the Pope compared to the role of Christ; the authority of the Pope; the authority of the Church; other churches, including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism; young people; human rights, especially the right to life; the Second Vatican Council (referred to constantly throughout, and specifically in several chapters); the problem of pain and suffering; whether God exists; why Christianity is split into several Churches, and the prospects of ecumenism; and whether God plays a direct role in history (specifically: the fall of Communism).
I was especially impressed by His Holiness's feelings about youth. I personally feel that American culture hates and fears teenagers: they do not have any of the privileges of adulthood, but are still tried as adults when they do wrong things. So it is refreshing to hear the Pope talk about the young: "In the young there is, in fact, an immense potential for good and for creative possibility." And again: "We need the enthusiasm of the young. We need their joie de vivre. In it is reflected something of the original joy God had in creating man."
Also impressive is the Pope's awareness of secular philosophy, and how the teachings of the Church are similar to and different than various schools of philosophy. He seems familiar with philosophy from ancient times through people like Descartes and Hegel through to modern philosophers that I have never heard of. He even discusses the especially prominent role of Rene Descartes in the break between medieval faith and modern times.
His Holiness has very interesting things to say about all the wide-ranging topics covered in this book. Now that I have read it, I can understand how he has had such an impact on the world during his tenure as Pope.
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