Benedict in the World


Book Description

Benedict in the World presents biographical sketches of nineteen men and women who were oblates of the Order of St. Benedict, that is, members of the Benedictine family of a given monastery who lived in the world, observing the Rule of St. Benedict as they raised families and pursued professions and careers. Dorothy Day, Rumer Godden, Jacques and Raïssa Maritain, Walker Percy, H. A. Reinhold, and Elena Cornaro are among the oblate subjects of this book.




Light Of The World


Book Description

Never has a Pope, in a book-length interview, dealt so directly with such wide-ranging and controversial issues as Pope Benedict XVI does in Light of the World. Taken from a recent week-long series of interviews with veteran journalist Peter Seewald, this book tackles head-on some of the greatest issues facing the world of our time. Seewald poses such forthright questions to Pope Benedict as: What caused the clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church? Was there a "cover up"? Have you considered resigning? Does affirming the goodness of the human body mean a plea for "better sex"? Can there be a genuine dialogue with Islam? Should the Church rethink Catholic teaching on priestly celibacy, women priests, contraception, and same-sex relationships? Holy Communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics? Is there a schism in the Catholic Church? Should there be a Third Vatican Council? Is there any hope for Christian unity? Is Christianity the only truth? Can the Pope really speak for Jesus Christ? How can the Pope claim to be "infallible"? Is there a "dictatorship of relativism" today? Twice before these two men held wide-ranging discussions, which became the best-selling books Salt of the Earth and God and the World. Then, Seewald's discussion partner was Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Vatican's chief doctrinal office. Now, Joseph Ratzinger is Pope Benedict XVI, the spiritual leader of the world's over one billion Catholics. Though Seewald now interviews the Pope himself, the journalist "pulls no punches", posing some of the thorniest questions any Pope has had to address. Believers and unbelievers will be fascinated to hear Benedict's thoughtful, straightforward and thought-provoking replies. This is no stern preachment or ponderous theological tract, but a lively, fast-paced, challenging, even entertaining exchange.




The Rule of Saint Benedict


Book Description




The Pope and the World


Book Description

Pope Benedict XVI, while Pope, but also for years before that as Priest, Bishop, Theologian, Cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has long engaged in a dialogue that has sought to clarify the relationship between the sacred and the secular. While initially considered progressive when engaged as peritus at the Second Vatican Council, the years have shown that he does not easily fit into any form of categorisation. While many of his peers have accused him of changing his views on the engagement of the Church in the world, Joseph Ratzinger argues that he has been consistent in his views while responding to a changing context. This book tracks the ideas of the Pope Emeritus across the years and across many themes as he battles with the rapidly changing modern world. It becomes clear that there has been no about-face in his positions over time, but, rather, that there is a definite consistency in his sense of directing the sacred--whether dealing with the Liturgy in a time of increasing worldliness or discussing the place of the faith in the civil-political sphere--across all spheres towards God and the transcendent. As he has lived and guided during an increasingly turbulent era for the Church, this has meant that his perspective and the clarity and precision of his words have placed him as a sign of contradiction in the world, just as he argues the Church should be.




Lord of the World


Book Description




The Pope Benedict XVI Reader


Book Description

It is difficult to overestimate the impact that Pope Benedict XVI has had on the Catholic Church. He served the people of God as a priest, an advisor at the Second Vatican Council, a bishop, a cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the 265th pope. But in addition to his influence as a churchman, Joseph Ratzinger also stands out as one of the most significant thinkers in recent history. He is the author of more than sixty books, numerous articles, and countless homilies. Catholics and non-Catholics alike have been inspired and challenged by his theological writings. For many people, it can be difficult to know where to begin. The Pope Benedict XVI Reader offers a point of entry for those seeking a deeper engagement with his teachings, whether you have read little of his work or have enjoyed it for years. This wide-ranging collection draws together some of the finest excerpts from Ratzinger's interviews, speeches, audiences, homilies, and books, with insights on a variety of topics, including the Trinity, the person of Jesus Christ, the Church, Mary and the saints, the Bible, the liturgy, prayer, the Second Vatican Council, and the challenge of living the faith in the modern world. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of a man whose legacy of scholarly erudition, pastoral gentleness, and deep and abiding love for Christ and his Church continues to awe the world.




The Pope


Book Description

On 28 February 2013, a 600-year-old tradition was shattered: Pope Benedict XVI made a startling announcement. He would resign. From the prize-winning screenwriter of The Theory of Everything and Darkest Hour, The Pope is a fascinating, revealing and often funny tale of two very different men whose destinies converge with each other and the wider world. How did these two men become two of the most powerful people on Earth? What does the future hold for the Catholic Church? What is it like to be the Pope? The Pope is a dual biography that masterfully combines these two popes' lives into one gripping narrative. From Benedict and Francis' experiences of war in their homelands - when they were still Joseph and Jorge - and the Church's sexual abuse scandal that shocked the world, to the smoke signals announcing the election of a new pope failing and Benedict's robes being too small, The Pope glitters with the lighter and the darker details of life inside one of the world's most opaque but significant institutions.




Conversation with Saint Benedict


Book Description

In Conversations with Saint Benedict, renowned Benedictine scholar Terrence Kardong considers the interface between the Rule of Benedict and contemporary culture. In several of the chapters, Kardong considers several aspects of modern culture that he considers worrisome, and he tries to look at them in the light of the Rule. In other chapters, he takes up specific aspects of the Rule itself that he finds difficult to deal with. The book, then, is a kind of dialectic, which does not shrink from criticizing both our culture and Benedict's own ideas.




God and the World


Book Description

During his years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, well-known Vatican prelate Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger has given three in-depth interviews. The first two interviews have become best selling books: The Ratzinger Report and Salt of the Earth. Because of the tremendous reception those books received, the Cardinal agreed to do another interview with journalist Peter Seewald, who had done the very popular Salt of the Earth interview. This third in-depth interview addresses deep questions of faith and the living of that faith in the modern world. The interview took place over three full days spent at the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino in a setting of the silence, prayer, and hospitality of the monks. For this meeting with the highly regarded Churchman, theologian, and author, the seasoned journalist, who had fallen away from the faith but eventually returned to the Church, once again provided a very stimulating, well-prepared series of wide-ranging questions on profound issues. The Cardinal responds with candor, frankness and deep insight, giving answers that are sometimes surprising and always thought provoking.




Pope Benedict XVI


Book Description

Pope Benedict XVI will go down in Church history as one of the greatest popes. In this heartfelt defense of Pope Benedict's words and works, a tribute to his life and legacy and a homage to his sanity and sanctity, Joseph Pearce's biography provides an unforgettable encounter with this great historical figure. As the defender of the Faith, Pope Benedict XVI fought tirelessly and largely successfully against the forces of secularism first as the indomitable Ratzinger and then as the incomparable supreme pontiff. As an uncompromising defender of the dignity of the human person, he fought the wickedness of the world in his unremitting battle against the dictatorship of relativism and its culture of death. Within the Church, he fought against the spirit of the world in his war on modernism and its worship of the spirit of the age, restoring the splendor of truth in his defense of orthodoxy and the splendor of the liturgy in his defense of tradition. Years from now, Catholics will still look back on Pope Benedict's enduring legacy with enormous gratitude. For he successfully steered the barque of Peter in charity and truth against the evil tides that sought to engulf the Church.