“Holy Father: Pope Benedict XVI: Pontiff for a New Era”
Written by Greg Tobin (Sterling, 2005). Offers a first look at the much-anticipated new leader of the Catholic Church and examines what lies ahead for the Catholic Church and its people.
Region: Global
“A Church in Search of Itself: Benedict XVI and the Battle for the Future”
Written by Robert Blair Kaiser (Knopf, 2006). Kaiser examines some of the most important and divisive issues confronting the Church: the sex abuse scandal, a shortage of priests due to the insistence upon celibacy, the ban on contraception, the roles of women in the Church, and the increased participation of laypeople in Church affairs while giving an […]
“The Making of the Pope 2005”
Written by the Rev. Andrew M. Greeley (Little, Brown, 2005). This is an update from Greeley’s 1978 classic about the previous conclave.
“God’s Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church”
Written by George Weigel (HarperCollins, 2005). Chronicle of the rise of Pope Benedict XVI as well as an unflinching view of the Catholic Church at the dawn of a new era.
“Pope Benedict XVI: A Biography of Joseph Ratzinger”
Reissue (Continuum, 2005) of John L. Allen’s 2000 biography of Ratzinger subtitled, The Vatican’s Enforcer of Faith. Allen later said he thought that book was too harsh on Ratzinger.
“The Rise of Benedict XVI: The Inside Story of How the Pope Was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church”
Written by John L. Allen Jr. (Doubleday, 2005). Looks at the behind-the-scenes dynamics within the College of Cardinals that led to the choice of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, and where the new pope is likely to lead the Catholic Church.
“On priesthood and those with homosexual tendencies”
Full text of the Vatican instruction entitled, “Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders.” The document’s aim is to bar gay men from the priesthood.
Deus Caritas Est (God is Love)
Pope Benedict’s first encyclical. An encyclical is considered one of the most authoritative documents from the pen of the pope, and a new pontiff’s first encyclical is considered something of a “mission statement” for the rest of the pontificate. Benedict’s first, Deus Caritas Est, or God is Love, was considered surprising by some in that […]
“Reorganization begins in Roman Curia”
Catholic World News article about Pope Benedict’s decision to consolidate the leadership of four Vatican councils under two presidents, one of his first reforms of the Curia.