With God You Are Never Alone
The Great Papal Addresses
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
For the first time, the 10 great speeches of Benedict XVI's pontificate are collected. From the first homily delivered as soon as he became pope to the last public hearing, these speeches reveal the depth of his theological reflection in simple language that has nourished the faith of millions.
Since Pope Benedict XVI died he has had a remarkably good press. Indeed many have argued that there is a natural evolution between Pope Benedicts mission and that of his successor Pope Francis.
Dubbed and dismissed by many as an unrepentant traditionalist, we now see a man of profound intelligence and wisdom on matters relating not just to religion but to what is not termed 'The Common Good'. It is thus more important to read these texts carefully and with measure and not in garbled versions dreamt up by the Press. With this in mind, Benedict will be seen as an inspiring thinker who has a lot to teach us now and the future.
Included here are his speech on visiting Auschwitz, his address to the House of Commons and House of Lords, his address to the German Bundestag in Berlin, his address to the United Nations, his notorious Regensburg speech and his speech when he finally announced his resignation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
These contemplative speeches by Pope Benedict XVI, who died in 2022, center "the inviolable dignity of man, made in God's image" in matters both earthly and eternal. Spanning Benedict's 2005 to 2013 tenure as pope, the 10 addresses fall into two categories: those concerned with the "life of the Church"—including reflections on the legacy of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, and commentary on the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s—and those that engage politics, history, and ethics more broadly, including the collection's most affecting entry, a 2006 speech delivered at the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau, in which the German pontiff sought "forgiveness and reconciliation" and offered "a plea to the living God never to let this happen again." While the lack of historical context might leave some readers lost (each speech is only introduced with the year, place, and occasion), this succeeds in painting a comprehensive portrait of an intelligent, articulate, and often compassionate leader equally willing to discuss disturbing concrete issues (such as the sexual abuse scandals that came to light during his papacy, for which he implores "forgiveness from God and from the persons involved" ) and abstract theological concerns. It's a worthy tribute to a vital figure in the history of the Catholic church.
