Customer Reviews

God's Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"As the news [of John Paul's death] cascaded around the world, millions felt orphaned. In a world bereft of paternity and its unique combination of strength and mercy, John Paul II had become a father to countless men and women living in an almost infinite variety of human circumstances and cultures. That radiation of fatherhood . . . was rooted in the Pope's singular capacity to preach and embody the Christian Gospel . . . " (p. 25).

Millions of people will long be able to pinpoint where they were the moment, on April 2, 2005, when they learned that Pope John Paul II had returned to his Father. The masses that converged on Rome for his funeral were a "gathering of the family," as papal biographer George Weigel put it. But these were no ordinary papal obsequies; many Catholics experienced the unique and yawning personal loss felt when a father dies. "'You feel smaller when your father dies because he was strong and lifted you, carried you and taught you, and when he's gone, the room feels too big without him'" (p. 99).

God's Choice details the last days of Pope John Paul II and the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. The book is both retrospective and prospective, trying to sum up the achievements of the Pope Weigel unabashedly (and rightly) calls "the Great," while seeking to anticipate the challenges facing his successor. Weigel argues that John Paul II rejuvenated the Church, making holiness exciting and appealing, especially to the young. He recaptured the true meaning of Vatican II, taking it back from those who hijacked the Council's "spirit" in the name of various dead end agendas. Weigel does not deny that the Church has problems but, in hindsight, the Church is 2005 is far more vigorous that some might have thought back in 1978.

As a title, God's Choice discloses Weigel's perspective: one cannot understand the Church apart from the primacy of God's Will and man's subsequent response. Karol Wojtyla's fiat led an actor to the priesthood and the papacy. Joseph Ratzinger's fiat led a successful priest-professor from the classroom to be Archbishop, and then from Munich to a lightening rod position in Rome, where he remained despite personal wishes to retire. Ultimately, that fiat led him to the Chair of Peter. As Weigel poignantly puts it:

Forty-eight hours before the Conclave of 2005 was sealed,the possible futures of Joseph Ratzinger came into focus. By September, the 78-year old Ratzinger would be back home in Bavaria-living with his brother Georg, surrounded by his beloved books, embarked on a retirement of writing and lecturing . . . . Or he would be marking his fifth month as pope. There is not the slightest doubt which future he would have preferred. God . . . had . . . other ideas (p. 259).

Weigel reveals his hand in calling Benedict's papacy "adventures in dynamic orthodoxy." The new pope will have to engage the siren songs of post-modernity, showing how they inevitably lead to shipwreck. He will have to challenge the reigning orthodoxies of contemporary western European thought, much like his namesake from Nursia did a millennium and a half ago. He should try to unleash the potentials of Latin America, which Weigel sees as encumbered by its zero-sum attitudes of victimization. Benedict is likely to speed up "reform of the reform" of liturgy.

The author's easy-going style makes him a joy to read. He blends a variety of styles (journalistic, daily diary reporting on the conclave, analytical) successfully, keeping the reading flowing. As with any book rushed out three months after a historic event, some things may be lacking (e.g., only in September did the Holy See publish its chronology of John Paul's last hours). And while Weigel is optimistic about Benedict XVI carrying on John Paul's legacy, he does not really consider whether Ratzinger, the introverted septuagenarian can engage with the people as effectively as did extrovert Wojtyla, who had the advantage of starting his papacy twenty years younger. All that said, the author shows himself more than able to provide us with a readable and sound interpretation of this new pontificate. Highly recommended.

I've read a number of books about the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, and they clearly have a common template: chronicle John Paul II's final illness; describe the state of the Church at the time of his death; review the history of conclaves and the changes introduced by John Paul; recount the events of the conclave itself; provide a capsule biography of Joseph Ratzinger; assess the future of the Church with particular emphasis on the challenges the new pontiff faces. George Weigel's book fits that template. But if the form is unremarkable, the content is worth paying attention to.

I'm a fan of journalist and author John L. Allen, and so I readily admit to a tendency to compare other writers' books on the Vatican to the excellent works Allen has produced. "God's Choice" stands up to that comparison quite well. Weigel's book (and I admit to not [yet] having read any of the author's other works) is less journalistic than Allen's, with both more style in the writing and a more obvious and personal point of view. The title of this review comes from one of Weigel's subheads (on page 240), and while he applies it to the new pope, I'm happy to appropriate it to describe Weigel as well. He clearly comes from the conservative side of the American church, and is not at all hesitant about criticizing journalists like E.J. Dionne for their caricatured portraits of "God's Rottweiler" and what his election implies about the future of the Church.

Where I found Weigel's book particularly interesting was in his analysis of the challenges facing the new pope. While most of the template-books struck me as fairly superficial in this area, Weigel really gave it some thought. I predict it's this section readers may find most interesting. I was especially struck by Weigel's contention that -- in the Church as in American politics -- the intellectual and spiritual energy, as well as the new ideas, are now clearly coming from the "Right." The author's discussion of this, particularly in the context of what he sees as John Paul's mission of completing and reinvigorating the true spirit of Vatican II, was more than a little thought-provoking -- and not, I expect, uncontroversial to many portions of the American Church.

Because this book on the conclave was published later than Allen's and most of the others, Weigel also has the advantage of being able to employ them as resources and comment on their conclusions. Taken together, all of this makes "God's Choice" an exceptional addition to the newborn genre of books about Benedict XVI. I would still direct interested readers to John Allen's work, but am happy to add this title to my recommendations as well.

With very little theological background, I can only comment this book from a simple roman catholic faithfull point of view. And it is with a deep feel of comfort that I finished the last page. The loss of JP The Great is seen under an old but scarcely mentioned light: the communion of saints. Introducing Benedict XVI as the Pope God chose and discovered as such by the electors Cardinals gave me enourmous pride to belong to the Catholic Church. The author led me through JP's funeral with talent and some very helpful insights, allowing me to discover new meanings to the loss of JP The Great and the election of Ratzinger as Benedict XVI. The chapters referring to the future of the Church and the tasks the new Pope must surely undertake are magnificent and sure to keep everyone thinking, and doubtless make catholics pray fervently for Benedicts XVI's intentions and health. I can not recommend it enough.

God's Choice was not quite what I expected. It doesn't take a detailed look at Joseph Ratzinger, the new pope, until after the first 300 pages. Prior to that we get a narrative of the last days of Pope John Paul II, the world's reaction to his death and funeral Mass, and a detailed account of the conclave, the process of electing the new pope. Though it's partially instructive about Ratzinger and the Church, the first half serves as a fitting memorial to one of the most popular popes of all time.

Weigel writes as an admirer and as one who has a firm grasp of the subject matter. The detail and analysis are amazing. Anyone wanting to know the state of the Catholic Church and the current issues facing it will benefit from reading this book. Without delving too deeply into doctrinal issues, it shows that the new pope will stay the course set by John Paul.

The average person may find some of the detail and subject matter a bit tedious. It could have been more concise, but Catholics, academics, clergy and those who want to know as much as possible will not be disappointed. Weigel knows and understands the issues so well that he anticipates how the new pope will act. He even provides some wise counsel.

The book leaves the impression that Joseph Ratzinger was the best choice for the job. It's hard to imagine a better successor. He knows the Catholic Church and is able to represent and work with all the different members. He's not as charismatic as John Paul, but as the author points out, it was personal integrity and his ability to face challenge that drew people to the former pope. Pope Benedict has the same qualities.

The media characterization of Benedict as "God's Rottweiler" is unfair. Though conservative doctrinally, a humble servant is a more accurate depiction. Ratzinger had no desire to be pope. He would have been content to retreat to teaching and studying after the death of John Paul. Weigel portrays a man that is serious about reforming the church but does not seem himself as an absolute monarch. He knows that he too is subject "to Christ and his word."

This is a wonderful overview of the Catholic Church around the world today, the legacy of Pope John Paul II, an account of how Benedict XVI became the new Pope, a brief but very fair account of his life, and a survey of how Pope Benedict may tackle the challenges for the Church ahead.

The author is clearly steeped in the writings of both Pope John Paul II (of whom he was the great biographer) and Pope Benedict XVI, and it shows. His fluency enables him to write so well of matters of ideas as well as the concrete manifestations of those ideas in controversies of the past - and likely future.

It helps that the author is not only well-versed in Pope Benedict's writings, but clearly sympathetic with the Pope's beliefs about the role of the Church, the meaning of Christianity. Weigel is a believer and that is helpful in gaining a grasp of what these two popes have thought, been blessed by and found confounding over their long lives.

I would strongly recommend this - although the concepts are often complex, he writes so easily that every sentence is readily understandable. He has such a strong grasp of what really does influence the Church today - in contrast, most journalists' writings seem very crudely to grasp at what matters and then to convey it in a cartoon-like style.

You'll like this book!

Pope John Paul II's Solemn Funeral Mass on April 8, 2005 is something one will not easily forget. I personally rose in the middle of the night (New York time) to be able to view it live from Rome (If you haven't seen it in its 3 hour entirety it is available---with original Vatican TV/Radio commentary/English translation---on DVD from EWTN . com). It was a majestic affirmation for a man's majestic life & Cardinal Ratzinger's homily, in George Weigel's words, "was a masterpiece of ecclesiastical rhetoric: biblically grounded yet very personal; theologically strong yet accessible to all." In retrospect it was apropo that Cardinal Ratzinger was the one to preside at this occasion (notwithstanding it being his responsibility, owing to his position as dean of the College of Cardinals, to do so) & Mr. Weigel's book explains why this was so; why this succession was such a natural one. Let's return to the early 1960s, a time of cultural turmoil, for a moment though. The Second Vatican Council was proclaimed by Pope John XXIII. Pope John wished the Council "to increase the fervour and energy of Catholics, to serve the needs of Christian people." To achieve this purpose, bishops and priests must grow in holiness; the laity must be given effective instruction in Christian faith and morals; Christian social activity must increase; and all Christians must have missionary hearts. In Italian, he expressed his desire in one word -- Aggiornamento -- the Church must be brought up to date, must adapt itself to meet the challenged conditions of modern times. But that didn't mean it was ok "to define sin down," in Pope John Paul II's words, who argued that to do so "was to take the dramatic tension out of life and to deny men and women the opportunity for moral heroism." Another holy man lamented that society was "building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitve and whose ultimate goal consists soley of one's ego and desires." That man was Joseph Ratzinger. Ordained an archbishop in May of 1977 and created a cardinal less than a month later, he arrived in Rome in August of 1978 to aid in picking a successor to John Paul I. And while he had been exchanging books with Karol Wojtyla previously this event provided the first real opportunity to talk seriously with the archbishop of Krakow. "There was, Ratzinger later recalled 'this spontaneous sympathy between us, and we spoke...about what we should do, about the situation of the Church.'" The new Pope Paul I only lasted 33 days, however, and Ratzinger and Wojtyla soon met again in Rome. Wojtyla was, of course, elevated next and from the beginning---in Ratzinger's words---"there was a permanent relationship" between the two. Ratzinger was finally persuaded to join John Paul II in Rome in 1981 & was then persuaded to stay on through 3 attempts at retirement. In Mr. Weigel's view, John Paul II "simply could not imagine being pope without Joseph Ratzinger as his principal doctrinal advisor." Ratzinger thus can easily be seen as the natural successor to the greatest pope of the 20th century; hence Weigel's title "God's Choice." The book, incidentially, is split into three parts: How John Paul II "helped rescue the genuine teaching of Vatican II from the slippery hermeneutic of the 'Spirit of Vatican II'" (the contrary idea that to modernize the Church had to give into the forces of the era; of the cultural revolution of the 1960s); how Joseph Ratzinger was a participant in John Paul II's colossal undertaking, and how he was finally elevated to succeed him (It's also interesting to note that Ratzinger had earlier been inducted in the Academie Francaise in 1992, taking the seat previously held by the late Andrei Sakharov; this upon the downfall of the USSR, an undertaking John Paul II had a large hand in bringing about); And lastly, the third part of the book (which actually feels as if it was written for Pope Benedict to read himself) touches on the future. God Bless

George Weigel is the preeminent Catholic author in America today, and would be my vote for Vatican Press Secretary. However, I bought this book to gain deeper insight into Benedict XVI, and find it has much more to do with the end of John Paul II's life and his legacy. It isn't until halfway through the book when the conclave is covered. This book is in reality a sequel to Weigel's monumental biography of John Paul II - not that there's anything wrong with that. Well written, with Mr. Weigel's usual great attention to accurate detail, this book sets the table for an earnest biography of Benedict XVI. If he writes it, George will undoubtedly earn a full five stars.

George Weigel has given us a brief but engaging and informative overview of the state of the Catholic Church, the election of Benedict XVI, and where Benedict will take the Church. It reads very well, and in fact you find yourself wanting more.

For instance, one of the issues for which Benedict was best known while Cardinal Ratzinger was his sympathy for the traditional Latin Mass, even when fashionable opinion in the Catholic world despised it. He has said things about the reformed liturgy that his admirers today would have condemned people as "schismatic" for saying in the 1980s and 1990s.

So it is of enormous significance that such a man was elected pope. Weigel notes, in one fleeting reference, that Benedict will probably liberalize the allowance for the traditional Mass, but that's all we get. It's almost as if Weigel, whose wing of Catholicism has not exactly had much good to say about the old rite, and which mastered all the arguments in favor of the new, isn't quite sure what to do or say now that we have a pope who's willing to concede half the points made by traditionalists.

I am perhaps being petty by dwelling on this point. The fact is that aside from this blind spot, Weigel has a sound grasp of the mind of the new pope and the serious challenges the Church faces. He is one of the most significant observers of the Church today, which is why, if you want to get up to speed on this material quickly, you can't go wrong reading Weigel.

(Oh, and by the way: N. Ravitch, below, is professor emeritus Norman Ravitch, who reviews all kinds of books he hasn't read and is a stark, raving anti-Catholic. Do a Google search on him.)

Mr. Weigel's book shed much light on the selection of the head of the Catholic Church. It has caused me to re-think much of the way I look at the whole institution. There is something very wonderful about the whole thing.

As the official biographer of the late Pope John Paul II, Weigel has special insight into the historical context set by Pope Benedict's predecessor. In God's Choice, he devotes a significant amount of time recalling John Paul's last days, and thus sheds light on the circumstances surrounding Benedict's election. He analyzes the positions of Benedict in relation to those of John Paul, underscoring the similarities and differences between the two leaders. This helps the reader formulate a sense of where the church has been, where it is now, and where it may go in the future under Benedict's leadership. Weigel presents many sides of Benedict, painting a portrait that captures the depth of Benedict's Bavarian heritage, his scholarly background, his relationship with John Paul, and his reluctance to assume the papacy. Weigel is at his best when he can tell the story of a dynamic and spiritual character, and shows yet again why he is the most celebrated papal biographer in Church history. Highly recommended reading for those interested in issues pertaining to the modern Catholic Church.