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God’s New Man

The Election of Benedict XVI and the Legacy of John Paul II

Paul Collins

This timely analysis explores the controversial legacy of Pope John Paul II, and the great challenges facing his successor as he leads the Catholic Church into the 21st century.

Opinion

“Collins is an astute commentator on religious affairs and a trained historian, not a mere chronicler.”
(Br Brian Grenier CFC, Catholic Leader, 25/9/05)

“This book is intelligent, perceptive and readable - much more insightful and interesting than a similar book by the much-admired American Vatican-watcher John Allen.”
(Barney Zwartz, The Sunday Age, 9/10/05)

About this Title

Who is Pope Benedict XVI? And where is the Catholic Church headed under his leadership?

When Pope John Paul II died after 26 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, no observer seriously predicted that the conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would succeed him.

At a time when many in the Church hoped for change, Cardinal Ratzinger was a staunch ally of the late Pope. As head of the controversial Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an organisation directly descended from the Roman Inquisition, and charged with safeguarding the faith and morals of the Church, he had made many enemies. And at 78, his age was also against him.

In God's New Man, Paul Collins, Australia's leading commentator on religious affairs, investigates who Joseph Ratzinger is and how he became Pope Benedict XVI. He also analyses the legacy of John Paul II's uncompromising and absolutist style, and sketches the challenges the new Pope must confront if he is to unite and heal the Catholic Church.

About the Author

Paul Collins, theologian and religious affairs commentator, left the Catholic priesthood in 2001, after the Vatican criticised his writings, but he is still a believing Catholic. Trained in history at Harvard University and the Australian National University, he is a well-known broadcaster and writer of popular theology. His previous books include God's Earth (1995), which became an ABC TV documentary; Papal Power: A Proposal for Change in Catholicism's Third Millennium (1997); and Upon This Rock (MUP, 2000). He covered the 2005 Papal election for the ABC.

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978-0-522-85129-8