With the cooperation of Vatican officials, more than twenty hours of one-on-one conversations with the Pope, unprecedented access
to autobiographical and archival materials, and interviews with
the Pope’s closest friends in Poland, Witness to Hope is a
brilliant portrait of Pope John Paul II. A biographer with first
hand knowledge of the Pope, theologian and religious commentator
George Weigel offers a profoundly revealing portrait of the extraordinary
man as:
An accomplished philosopher and intellectual with a deep
appreciation for untutored popular piety.
A humanist whose message to a world dominated by the pleasure
principle and personal wilfulness is that universal truths exist,
and that in knowing them, certain moral duties are laid upon
us.
A successful statesman who, despite having lived under totalitarian
regimes for thirty-nine years, has a thorough understanding
of the cultural forces that make democracy possible.
Unparalleled in scope and depth, Witness to Hope includes previously
unpublished material about the Pope’s involvement in world
events. Juxtaposed against these historic events is a look at how
the Pope has lived on a daily basis for twenty-one years: his schedule,
his personal spiritual disciplines and routines, and his recreations.
Capturing the heart, soul, and mind of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century from his own writings and reflections on his pontificate, Witness to Hope is the definitive account of
Pope John Paul II - the man, philosopher, and world leader.
About the author — George Weigel, Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Centre, is a Roman Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading commentators on issues of religion and public life. The author or editor of 14 previous books, Weigel writes a weekly column syndicated to Catholic newspapers across the United States.
