Witness to Hope; The Biography of Pope John Paul II

New York: Cliff Street Books (An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers), 1999. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xiv, 992, [2] pages. Illustrations (some color). Notes. Bibliography. Index. Slight wear to DJ edges. Signed by author on title page. Religious bookmark, pocket size religious card, and pamphlet on the Basilica of the National Shrine laid in. George Weigel is an American author, political analyst, and social activist. He currently serves as a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Weigel was the Founding President of the James Madison Foundation. He is the author of the best-selling biography of Pope John Paul II, Witness to Hope and Tranquillitas Ordinis: The Present Failure and Future Promise of American Catholic Thought on War and Peace. He is a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.[2] Weigel writes and serves on the board for the Institute for Religion and Public Life, which publishes First Things, an ecumenical publication that focuses on encouraging a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society. Derived from a Kirkus review: A study that pays homage without degenerating into hagiography. Weigel has studied and written about Karol Wojtyla, better known as Pope John Paul II, for two decades. Here he records the colorful events of the pope's life. After discussing Wojtyla's origins in Wadowice, Poland, Weigel gives an account of his work in avant-garde theater, his study in a clandestine seminary during WWII, his consecration as a bishop in 1958, his election as the first Slavic pope. Weigel pays close attention to his role in the collapse of communism, his writings and teachings and his international travel. John Paul II has believed that the Church has an obligation to safeguard human freedom. The pope has held that modern anxiety, malaise, and restlessness can only be quelled through Christ, so, as John Paul II's Church has worked for human freedom, it has also evidenced a commitment to spreading the Gospel message. This biography is sure to be the definitive work on Pope John Paul II for years.