Pope Benedict XVI: A Personal Portrait [Hardcover]

H. J. Fischer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

After decades of reporting on the Catholic church and many personal meetings with Joseph Ratzinger, no other writer but Dr. Fischer could present this insightful look at the life of the complex theologian and cardinal, and the challenges confronting the new Pope Benedict XVI.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Amidst a growing sea of crash-published papal biographies that look at the life, ecclesiastical rise and teachings of Pope Benedict XVI, this one stands out as a spicier, more thorough and more personal look at the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. (It was also, not coincidentally, mostly written before the papal election, so the overall effect is not haphazard and hasty, as so many of the other new pope books are.) Fischer, the Rome correspondent for a leading German newspaper, has known Ratzinger since 1976 and focuses this account not on Ratzinger's early life in Bavaria, wartime activities, or early teaching career, but on his more public career as a cardinal and leader of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He bases the book on Ratzinger's record as a church leader and public intellectual as well as his extended conversations with the man. Readers will enjoy savoring personal tidbits and glimpses of the pope's personal life, which he has always striven to keep private: his love of classical music, his thoughtful choice of gifts, his inability to suffer fools gladly. Fischer balances this praise with genuine discussion of various reasons Ratzinger was a controversial choice as pope, some theological (his disciplining of liberation theologians and others) and some personal (Fischer concedes that the pope can "turn cold" and isn't characteristically warm and open). The book also features 24 pages of photographs of Pope Benedict's life and career, many of them in color.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

Crossroad presents the authoritative biography from the leading Vatican journalist and closest observer of Joseph Ratzinger. As the leading Vatican journalist and Rome correspondent for Germany’s principal daily newspaper, Dr. Fischer has observed and accompanied Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger for nearly 30 years. Whether offering praise or criticism, he has always presented a meticulously researched and keen analysis combined with thoughtful insights into the sensitivity and spirituality of the person Joseph Ratzinger. Dr. Fischer knows the new Pope well both professionally and personally, and he understands the intricacies of Vatican City and the Catholic Church that so puzzle the outside world.

This all-new and definitive biography presents a profound portrait of the new Pope: the simple, humble believer, the genius theologian, the firm Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the confidant of John Paul II, and the first new Pope of the twenty-first century. It also lays out the challenging questions and problems awaiting Benedict XVI. This authoritative book is certain to become the most talked-about biography of the year.

Heinz-Joachim Fischer, who has spent most of his life in Rome, is a journalist who studied Philosophy and Theology at the Papal University Gregoriana. Over the decades Fischer regularly has studied and met with Joseph Ratzinger for his regular articles on the prominent prelate in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and other major media outlets. Dr. Fischer resides in Rome; his numerous writings include books on John Paul II, the Conclave, and the Vatican, as well as studies on Rome and Italy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824523725
• ISBN-13: 978-0824523725
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,137,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fischer oddly misreads Benedict's character., November 8, 2005

By 

Peter Birrell (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pope Benedict XVI: A Personal Portrait (Hardcover)

The author claims to be a personal friend of the new pope. One wonders. He seems to misread seriously Benedict's interpersonal style. I know several people who had frequent contact with the pope when, as Cardinal Ratzinger, he was Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. They consistently emphasise his great gentleness and kindness which they found to be at least as remarkable as his oft-noted intellectual brilliance and personal piety. They also observe that he is temperamentally quite shy but was never "cold" - a psychological distinction that seems to be lost on the author.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A biography of Benedict XVI filled with personal insight that many other "instant" biographies lack, September 30, 2005

By 

FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pope Benedict XVI: A Personal Portrait (Hardcover)

When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected to succeed the late Pope John Paul II, among the least surprised Vatican insiders was H.J. Fischer, a journalist who has enjoyed a personal and professional relationship with the new pope for nearly three decades. Unlike so many of the "instant" biographies of Ratzinger that appeared in the weeks following his election to the papacy, Fischer's book was in the works and was nearly completed before the death of Pope John Paul II in April of 2005. As a result, he offers a personal perspective lacking in books by authors who were forced to rely on secondhand, encyclopedic information about the new pope.

Because the book is based largely on Fischer's acquaintance with Ratzinger, there is little information about his early life, which is fine for those of us who care more about his theology and less about where he attended kindergarten. Fischer picks up the story in earnest in 1976, when he first interviewed the then-local theologian who was making a name for himself in ecclesiastical circles. As Ratzinger quickly rose to the positions of bishop, archbishop, cardinal, and dean of the college of cardinals, Fischer, the Vatican correspondent for a German newspaper, kept close tabs on the prelate's career and stayed in contact with him on a regular basis.

All that may lead you to suspect that an author who is also a native German Catholic would have a tough time maintaining his journalistic objectivity in writing about the first German to be elected pope since the sixteenth century (or the eleventh century, if you want to get technical, but I don't). However, Fischer paints a remarkably balanced portrait of Pope Benedict XVI, revealing such seeming paradoxes as his warm sense of humor but often cold personality. In fact, Ratzinger comes across as the embodiment of an array of paradoxes: a theological conservative who spearheads innovative efforts designed to bring the old church into a new millennium; a quiet, thoughtful, and content Bavarian theologian whose colleagues from around the world considered him to be God's choice to lead the church's 1.1 billion adherents through a time of seismic cultural change.

Fischer also examines the new pope's history of conflict with proponents of "liberation theology," a movement that arose in Latin America in the 1970s through which many Catholic clerics took up the cause of the poor and the oppressed against the rich and the powerful. For Ratzinger and many other Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, the problem was not in the cause itself but in the Marxist thought and the highly politicized nature of the movement. He and other conservatives believed the church should find solutions outside the political arena; liberals believed there was no way the church could be effective in Latin America without entering the political fray.

The memory of that conflict could have prevented Ratzinger from rising through the ranks as he did, were it not for his unwavering stance on issues surrounding church doctrine. According to the author, the other cardinals held Ratzinger's interpretation of, and commitment to, doctrinal authority in such high regard that for many, his election to the papacy was a foregone conclusion.

A lover of classical music who is looking forward to meeting Bach and Mozart in heaven, Ratzinger was not so enthusiastic about ascending to the highest position in the Roman Catholic Church. During the papal voting process in April, he "begged God to spare him 'this guillotine'," Fischer writes. It's insights like that that make this biography a much more interesting and personal one than others on the market. If that's what you're looking for, along with a fairly extensive survey of the last thirty years of Catholic thought from a European perspective, then this is the book to buy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A first-hand account of the new Pope's astonishing life and ministry, August 14, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pope Benedict XVI: A Personal Portrait (Hardcover)

Heinz-Joachim Fischer is the leading Vatican journalist and Rome correspondent for one of Germany's premiere daily newspapers. With Pope Benedict XVI: A Personal Portrait, Fischer provides an informed and informative first-hand account of the new Pope's astonishing life and ministry. From simple, humble believer, Joseph Ratzinger, the man who became Pope Benedict XVI evolved into a world respected theologian, a Cardinal of the Church, the unwavering Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and a primary confident of the late John Paul II. A theologically trained correspondent, Fischer proves himself to be an ideal biographer of the new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church as he presents the history of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger for three decades, culminating in his being elevated to the Papacy, facing the problems and opportunities for the Catholic Church in the 21st Century. Both professionally and personally, Fischer knows the new Pope very well, and is able to place life story of the new Pope within the intricacies of Vatican City and the Catholic Church with an insider's insights. Pope Benedict XVI is very highly recommended reading, especially for those not yet acquainted with the life story of the newest Roman Catholic Pope.