{"product_id":"gods-choice-pope-benedict-xvi-and-the-future-of-the-catholic-church-9780060937591","title":"God's Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGeorge Weigel's \u003cem\u003eNew York Time\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003es\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling biography of Pope John Paul II, \u003cem\u003eWitness to Hope\u003c\/em\u003e, set the standard by which all portraits of the modern papacy are now measured. With \u003cem\u003eGod's Choice\u003c\/em\u003e, he gives us an extraordinary 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.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen John Paul II lapsed into illness for the last time, people flocked from all over the world to pray outside his apartment. He had become a father figure to millions in a world bereft of strong paternal examples, and those millions now felt orphaned. After more than twenty-six years of John Paul II's guidance, the Catholic Church is entering a new age, with its bedrock traditions intact but with pressing questions to address in a rapidly changing world. Beginning with the story of John Paul's final months, \u003cem\u003eGod's Choice\u003c\/em\u003e offers a remarkable inside account of the conclave that produced Benedict XVI as the next pope, drawing on George Weigel's unrivaled access to this complex event.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWeigel also incisively surveys the current state of the Church around the world: its thriving populations in Africa, Latin America, and parts of the post-communist world; its collapse in western Europe; its continued struggles in Asia; and the vibrancy of many aspects of Catholic life in the United States, even as the Church in America struggles to overcome its recent experience of scandal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReflecting on John Paul II's greatness, drawing on firsthand interviews to paint an intimate portrait of the new Pope, and boldly assessing the Church's current condition, \u003cem\u003eGod's Choice\u003c\/em\u003e is an invaluable book for anyone seeking to understand the Catholic future and the larger human future the Church will help to shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWeigel, George:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eGeorge Weigel is one of the world's foremost authorities on the Catholic Church and the author of the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestseller Witness to \u003cem\u003eHope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II\u003c\/em\u003e. He is a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., and a consultant on Vatican affairs for NBC News.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51453498360082,"sku":"9780060937591","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_90e2229b-9ee3-4ab1-8d19-fb23a7d69d9d.jpg?v=1751971038","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/gods-choice-pope-benedict-xvi-and-the-future-of-the-catholic-church-9780060937591","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}