Offers a first look at the much-anticipated new leader of the Catholic Church Examines what lies ahead for the Catholic Church and its people Special commemorative edition celebrates the life of John Paul II Author is the former editor of The Catholic Advocate The devastating loss of Pope John Paul II touched Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world. Now the Catholic Church stands at a crossroads. While the world's faithful mourn the loss of the extraordinary John Paul II, all eyes now turn to the new bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI. German-born Joseph Ratzinger must now lead the Church into a new era. Who is this new Holy Father, and what lies ahead for the Catholic Church and its people? In this special commemorative edition, award-winning author Greg Tobin examines the future of the Church under the new Supreme Pontiff. This captivating biography explores: The headline-making conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI His childhood, family, and seminary education His religious career, from ordination as priest through elevation to cardinal The spiritual and political issues facing the Catholic Church today - and how Pope Benedict XVI is likely to respond This fascinating keepsake celebrates the remarkable life of John Paul II and offers a first look at the much-anticipated new leader of the Catholic Church.
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About the Author
GREG TOBIN is the former editor of The Catholic Advocate and has served as a papal commentator for CBS News, FOX News Channel, and PBS. In addition, he is a scholar at the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology of Seton Hall University, where he serves as senior adviser for communications. Mr. Tobin's previous books include "Selecting the Pope: Uncovering the Mysteries of Papal Elections" (Robson, 1861057121); two novels about the papacy, Conclave and Council; The Wisdom of St. Patrick, a meditation text based on the writings of the patron saint of Ireland; and Saints & Sinners, an anthology of writings by American Catholics since World War II.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Shallow but Somewhat Helpful,
By Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Holy Father: Pope Benedict XVI: Pontiff for a New Era (Hardcover)
There is at the present time a mad rush to publish new material about the new Holy Father, and the rush is bound to lead to mistakes and sloppy research and editing. That is unfortunately the case with this book by Greg Tobin. There are several historical mistakes to be found in this book along with some typographical errors and even one questionable doctrinal statement. It would have helped this book a great deal if the publisher had taken a little more time with it and had allowed the editors to do a better job.This is not to say that this is a truly bad book however. There are several good things about this book, not the least of which is it's readability and length which allows the casual reader to gain at least some knowledge concerning our current Holy Father. I say some knowledge because while this book appears at first glance to be a biography, only about half of the text deals with the life of Benedict XVI. The first fifty or so pages deal with the history of the Papacy and do so in a very abbreviated manner. Still, it is a pretty good history that will give the reader a general overview of the Church's past. The next section of about seventy pages deals with the life of the Pontiff up until his election and does so in a credible although brief manner. Included is a very frank look at the activities of the Ratzinger family during WWII. The final section of the book deals with the problems that the Church and it's new leader will have to face over the next few years. Although short, this book does touch on some important points and gives a clear analysis of what to expect from Benedict XVI. Tobin, much to his credit, points out that while the media in America has focused on the negative reaction of liberal American Catholics to this Pope's election, there are a sizable number of Catholics in the United Sates who are quite pleased with the new Pope. The author also makes some good observations concerning Cardinal Ratzinger's remarks just before the Conclave and the remarks of Pope Benedict just after his election. I am quite sure that there will be better biographies of the Holy Father on the market in the near future, but I am also pretty sure there will also be some that are worse. If you are looking for a basic and short overview of Pope Benedict's life so far, this book would not be a bad choice. If, on the other hand you are looking for an in depth and error free biography, my advice is for you to wait just a little while longer. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a good biography written in a month.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Mistakes hurt credibility,
By
This review is from: Holy Father: Pope Benedict XVI: Pontiff for a New Era (Hardcover)
As everyone is well aware, there is a great amount of material coming out on the new pope, Benedict XVI. Greg Tobin's Holy Father cannot be taken as one of the better sources of information on Benedcit and the papacy because a number of historical inaccuracies hurt the author's crediblity.Just as an example, on page 30, Tobin identifies Cardinal Merry del Val as the Secretary of State of Pope Pius XI. He was, in fact, the Secretary of State of Pope St. Pius X. Further, on page 25, A certain Cardinal Lambruschini is identified as the runner-up in the conclave of 1847. There was no conclave in 1847. Blessed Pius IX was elected in the conclave of 1846 and then reigned for more than thirty years. Still further, on page 39, while talking about John Paul II, Tobin says, "He was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, since the Englishman Hadrian VI ( 1522-1523 )..." Here, again, a mistake. Hadrian VI was Dutch, I believe. The author must have been thinking of the only English Pope, Hadrian IV, who reigned some 360 years earlier. To make matters worse,the chronology of popes in the back of the book contains the correct information about Pius IX, Hadrian IV and Hadrian VI. Wasn't anyone doing the fact checking while they were proof-reading the book?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent Overview -- Some Errors,
By
This review is from: Holy Father: Pope Benedict XVI: Pontiff for a New Era (Hardcover)
In HOLY FATHER, author Greg Tobin offers a concise examination of the new Pope Benedict XVI.The brief (140+ page) book provides a cursory history of the papacy, then shifts to a review of Benedict's life in a generally well-structured, readable prose. The book was rushed into print fairly quickly after Cardinal Ratzinger's elevation to the papacy and suffers from several errors that could have been avoided by more judicious editing. One in particular is with respect to papal infallibility. There was no Ascension of the Blessed Mother, for example. Rather, the proper term is the "Assumption" of the Blessed Mother. Despite this, the book will provide a decent introduction to the new Pope, a gifted theologian who will guide the church most likely for a few years at least.
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