{"product_id":"the-essential-pope-benedict-xvi-his-central-writings-and-speeches","title":"The Essential Pope Benedict XVI: His Central Writings and Speeches","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn April 24  2005  Cardinal Joseph Alois Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI  the twenty-first-century successor of the Apostle Peter and the spiritual leader of more than one billion Roman Catholics. Who is this complex man whose office grants him sole charge of the worlds largest religion? How will his tenure influence the future? The Essential Pope Benedict XVI answers these questions through carefully chosen selections from his homilies  interviews  theological essays  and articles on the crises facing the church today. This collection lays out Benedicts thinking and relates it to a variety of contemporary issues  including modern cultures abandonment of traditional religious values  social mores regarding conception and the sanctity of life  current challenges to the priesthood  and the Catholic Churchs tenuous relations with other world religions. First a brilliant peritus  or \"expert advisor \" to the Second Vatican Council and then archbishop of Munich  Joseph Ratzinger was appointed head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope John Paul II in 1981. As Cardinal Ratzinger  the ex officio defender of church doctrine  he gained a reputation as a heroic guardian of the faith for conservatives and was held in suspicion by church liberals. We cannot yet know what issues and events will define the reign of Pope Benedict XVI  but by any measure he will be seen as one of the most important theological voices of our time. This one volume is the best source for understanding the heart  soul  and agenda of this twenty-first-century successor to St. Peter.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44974296399925,"sku":"ByrdShop_006112883X","price":23.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780061128837.jpg?v=1770652616","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-essential-pope-benedict-xvi-his-central-writings-and-speeches","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}