Pope John Paul II

A Chelsea House Title

Edward J. Renehan, Jr.

Narrated by Christopher Prince

Approximately 2.5 hours

Unabridged

Available as an MP3 CD in a sturdy vinyl case.

$24.00 for MP3 CD edition.

Downloadable edition:

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Book published by Chelsea House

Pope John Paul II led the Catholic Church during a time of great upheaval. During his pontificate (1978-2005), the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall collapsed, and great strides were made for freedom worldwide. The first non-Italian pope in more than four centuries, the Polish John Paul was also the very first Slavic pope ever. As a young man, he experienced Nazi persecution and had to train for the priesthood in a seminary conducted "underground"—because Catholic religious training for vocations had been outlawed. At the same time, he remained active in the Polish anti-Nazi insurgency and helped Jews escape the Holocaust. Later, as pontiff, he forged new relationships between the Roman Catholic Church and Jewish denominations worldwide and played a pivotal role in the downfall of the Soviet Union. This engaging biography follows the arch of the pontiff's life in the context of world politics.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

The Death of a Pope

Early Years

The Road to the Papacy

The Polish Pope

Bringing an End to Communism

Traveling Pope

Crisis in the Church

Final Years