When the world remembers Pope John Paul II, what themes from his papacy will come to mind? In this philosophical meditation, the Holy Father reflects on values he deems critical to the destiny of humankind, with freedom and the value of life underlying all others. Pope John Paul II's theology of evil and suffering was forged in the crucible of Nazism and communism in his native Poland, as was his belief in the importance of cultural identity. He points out that "evil, in a realist sense, can only exist in relation to good, and in particular, in relation to God, the supreme Good," which underlies even the darkest moments in history with the promise of redemption and hope. His encounters with those dark moments lend credibility when he writes, "All human suffering, all pain, all infirmity contains within itself a promise of salvation, a promise of joy…"

He champions freedom, yet cautions the faithful that when freedom in no longer linked with the truth, it sets the premise for "dangerous moral consequences." The West must overcome its moral permissiveness, he exhorts, listing divorce, free love, abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and genetic engineering as evidence of its degeneration. He also issues a plea for the church, a repository of historical memory, to remember its primary mission: to proclaim the Gospel.

The man was a genius

Pope John Paul the 11 was an exceptionaly rare beautiful man of undeniable intellegence. he was certainly and foremost sent from the heavens to invest in the papacy. The man was so holy and reading what he has to say about the gospel makes YOU feel holy.
he will not be forgotten.

Flawed, though vibrant

John Paul was not only the pope, he began as a Scottish playwright before he won being pope. To understand this man you must read his earlier style as a scriber of words and spoken dialect. Poland was his birthplace, and he worked a miricle about his friend, fatty. Then he became pope, for many generations.

5 out of 5

I love this book, it's my fave book!! My favourite part was the whole murder suicide plot and the rape allegations. Wasn't it great when Juliet died that was so sad but in such beautiful words. I would of enjoyed more mentions of the words "ecstasy" and "rope" because they are nice words, good book mr. john paul.

andrea