| The Pontiff in Winter: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II | 
 enlarge | Author: John Cornwell
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 915283
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0385514840
Dewey Decimal Number: 282.092
EAN: 9780385514842
ASIN: 0385514840
Publication Date: November 2, 2004
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Product Description
Over more than a quarter of a century, John Paul II has firmly set his stamp on the billion-member strong Catholic Church for future generations and he has become one of the most influential political figures in the world. His key role in the downfall of communism in Europe, as well as his apologies for the Catholic Church’s treatment of Jews and to victims of the Inquisition, racism, and religious wars, won him worldwide admiration. Yet his papacy has also been marked by what many perceive as misogyny, homophobia, and ecclesiastical tyranny. Some critics suggest that his perpetuation of the Church’s traditional hierarchical paternalism contributed to pedophiliac behavior in the priesthood and encouraged superiors to sweep the crimes under the carpet. The Pontiff in Winter brings John Paul’s complex, contradictory character into sharp focus. In a bold, highly original work, John Cornwell argues that John Paul’s mystical view of history and conviction that his mission has been divinely established are central to understanding his pontificate. Focusing on the period from the eve of the millennium to the present, Cornwell shows how John Paul’s increasing sense of providential rightness profoundly influenced his reactions to turbulence in the secular world and within the Church, including the 9/11 attacks, the pedophilia scandals in the United States, the clash between Islam and Christianity, the ongoing debates over the Church’s policies regarding women, homosexuals, abortion, AIDS, and other social issues, and much more. A close, trusted observer of the Vatican, Cornwell combines eyewitness reporting with information from the best sources in and outside the pope’s inner circle. Always respectful of John Paul’s prodigious spirit and unrelenting battles for human rights and religious freedom, Cornwell raises serious questions about a system that grants lifetime power to an individual vulnerable to the vicissitudes of aging and illness. The result is a moving, elegiac portrait of John Paul in the winter of his life and a thoughtful, incisive assessment of his legacy to the Church.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Pontiff In Winter September 12, 2008
I am thoroughly enjoying the audio CD of the Pontiff in Winter by John Cornwell. The reader, John Lee, speaks the narrative eloquently so it is easy to listen to while driving in the car. The story describes little known facts about Pope John Paul II as well as other Popes and important Vatican figures, both positive and negative. It exposes and discusses timely events such as the Priest Pedophile scandal and other political news and events that are rarely addressed in public. It is interesting to hear a behind-the-scenes version.
 please April 22, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
It's one thing to disagree with the Pope it's another to write a mean spirited pack of half truths. I bought this assumeing it was a biography of the Popes final years. WRONG it is an angry polemical agenda driven anti-JPII book. Waste of my $.
An Insightful Diatribe of His Holiness JPII June 28, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Cambridge scholar George Holmes analyzes the long reign of Pope John Paul II, the former Karol Wojtyla. He discusses the pope's accomplishmnets and his views on controversial issues including birth control and abuses by the clergy. The author seems to be making his case for critizing the centralization of papal power. Though he does show us both the good and the bad affects the policy of this pope has had on the world. We see him as pope and a person. The book is well-written, but does not answer any questions. I am pleased I read a library copy. But I do suggest you read it and make up your own mind.
 The Arrogance of Power June 6, 2005
8 out of 17 found this review helpful
A well-written book, which can be appreciated and understood by
Catholics and non-Catholics alike. (For those who seem to think
that the only criticism of the late Pope comes from those who
don't understand the Catholic Church, let me state here that I
am a practising, progressive Catholic).
There were no great surprises for me - I've long been concerned
at the high-handedness of Pope John Paul and the Vatican Curia;
this book confirmed my opinions while supplying a lot of
background information explaining, as far as anyone can, how
and why John Paul acted as he did.
Probably the most appalling aspects of John Paul's pontificate -
to a liberal thinker - were the hypocrisy of encouraging
rebellion against left-wing regimes while clamping down on
any protest against right-wing rulers; and the encouragement
of tale-telling and denunciation of anyone who might even
vaguely be suspected of harboring opinions not in full accord
with the pope's own views - a mindset worthy of both the Nazi
and Communist regimes under which he himself had suffered.
Cornwell details many such instances of Vatican repression.
There is another major act of hypocrisy - the branding of
homosexuality as "intrinsically evil", and the refusal of
needed pastoral care for religious homosexuals at the same time
that the Vatican has done its best to put the issue of priestly
paedophiles to one side, and has to this day failed to issue
either a free-ranging enquiry or to apologise to the victims.
Both issues are explored in the book, although it could be
argued they deserve a book of their own.
I suspect that the full extent of the damage done to the Church
by John Paul II won't be fully realised until the Pontificate
after the current one, when the only choices for a new Pontiff
will have to be made from the ranks of those ultra-conservatives
appointed as Bishops under the late Pope, and the Church will
find itself hopelessly outdated and irrelevant. Cornwell sees
clearly the already huge divide between the Vatican hierarchy
and the Church on the ground, and it's unlikely that the
division will be healed by Benedict XVI or his successor. Far
more likely is the scenario that under a succession of arch-
conservatives, engineered by John Paul, the imortance of the
Catholic Church will be increasingly diminished in a world that
is changing faster than anyone could have envisaged at the
start of John Paul's reign.
This is a valuable book, honest and forthright - if anything,
it is kinder than it might have been.
Important insights marred by mean and bitter writing April 9, 2005
18 out of 24 found this review helpful
Let me preface this review by saying I am not Catholic and though I have Catholic leanings I have resisted converting because of my liberal religious outlook. Seemingly, this is an outlook I share with Mr. Cornwell. I--like him--hold John Paul II in very high regard as a man of peace and one of the most influential agents of positive change in the past fifty years. On this aspect of his papacy, I feel Cornwell provides great examples and writes with appropriate zeal and praise.
However, the areas that are of concern to many non-Catholics, which include ordination of women, contraception, marriage of clergy, and even papal infallibility, are presented in such a negative and sarcastic light that I fear no one will take them seriously. Cornwell claims to be a reform-minded Catholic. Unfortunately, his presentation of real concerns for thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics alike are handled with such vitriol that this book will prove to be more divisive than unifying.
Ultimately, I feel that in spite of differences in belief between the author and the Pope this book could have been infused with a great deal more respect for a man who will be missed by millions. After all, in Cornwell's own admission, John Paul II has done more for peace in the world than anyone. Somehow, it seems that after saying that about someone repeatedly referring to him as "old boy" is entirely inappropriate. I had hoped for an unbiased (although this is seemingly impossible when writing about religion) and thoughtful portrayal of the strengths and weaknesses of John Paul's papacy. Unfortunately, I got a venomous diatribe.
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