Benedict XVI: A Life Volume Two : Professor and Prefect to Pope and Pope Emeritus 1966–The Present

**The second volume of Peter Seewald's magisterial life of Pope Benedict covers the period from the Second Vatican Council (1965-8) to the present day.** Emeritus Pope Benedict commands both adulation and unremitting criticism. In this second volume of Peter Seewald's authoritative biography, the story runs from the Second Vatican Council (1965–8) that shaped Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's conservative ideas about the role of the Catholic Church, through his short, scandal-ridden papacy and unprecedented resignation. Volume II introduces readers to the contemplative Pope Emeritus living in the Vatican Gardens, contemplating the future of the Church and his controversial legacy within it. We see how Benedict was influenced by the Vatican Council and the ensuing political unrest all over Europe in the 1960s to move from a liberal perspective on the Church and the modern world to one that was profoundly conservative. Appointed in 1981 as Prefect of the Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith, and quickly nicknamed 'God's Rottweiler', he proved to be intransigent on the controversial issues of abortion, contraception, gay rights and gay marriage. But elected Pope in 2005, his tenure of office was so riven with shocking revelations of controversy and scandal that it seemed that by the time of his resignation in 2013 he was incapable of handling the complexities of the Church in the modern world. Vatileaks, sexual abuse by priests, the Regensburg speech which became the spark of an eruption of anger and rage in the Muslim world – all these hit the world's media headlines. Peter Seewald is the only person who is close enough to Benedict to assess the man himself and to uncover the truth about so many of the controversial issues surrounding this most controversial papacy. Seewald has already published two books of interviews with Benedict and this book is based not just on meticulous research but on many hours of recorded interviews with Benedict himself. Emeritus Pope Benedict commanded both adulation and unremitting criticism. To millions, he was a beacon of light in a turbulent modern world.In this second volume of Peter Seewald's authoritative biography, the story continues from the Second Vatican Council (1965–8) right up to his resignation in 2013 - the first Pope to do so in almost 600 years. We see how Benedict was influenced by the Council and the ensuing political unrest all over Europe to move from a liberal perspective on the Church and the modern world to one that was profoundly conservative. Appointed in 1981 as prefect of the Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith, and quickly nicknamed'God's Rottweiler', he proved to be intransigent on the controversial issues of abortion, contraception, gay rights and gay marriage. But elected Pope in 2005, his tenure of office was so riven with shocking revelations of controversy and scandal that it seemed that by the time of his resignation in 2013 he was incapable of handling the complexities of the Church in the modern world.Vatileaks, sexual abuse by priests, the Regensburg speech which became the spark of an eruption of anger and rage in the Muslim world – all these hit the world's media headlines.Peter Seewald was the only person who was close enough to Benedict to assess the man himself and to uncover the truth about so many of the controversial issues surrounding this most controversial papacy. Seewald has already published two books of interviews with Benedict and this book is based not just on meticulous research but on many hours of recorded interviews with Benedict himself. It will stand for many years as the definitive biography of Benedict XVI from an author with unrivalled access to the Pope Emeritus. "Emeritus Pope Benedict commands both adulation and unremitting criticism. To millions, he remains a beacon of light in a turbulent modern world. In this second volume of Peter Seewald's authoritative biography, the story runs from the Second Vatican Council (1965-8) right up to the present day. We see how Benedict was influenced by the Council and the ensuing political unrest all over Europe to move from a liberal perspective on the Church and the modern world to one that was profoundly conservative. Appointed in 1981 as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and quickly nicknamed 'God's Rottweiler', he proved to be intransigent on the controversial issues of abortion, contraception, gay rights and gay marriage. But elected Pope in 2005, his tenure of office was so riven with shocking revelations of controversy and scandal that it seemed that by the time of his resignation in 2013, he was incapable of handling the complexities of the Church in the modern world. The ensuing scandals of 'Vatileaks', sexual abuse by priests and the Regensburg speech, which became the fuse to an eruption of anger and rage in the Muslim world, all made international headlines. Peter Seewald is the only person who is close enough to Benedict to assess the man himself and to uncover the truth about so many of the controversial issues surrounding this most controversial papacy. His magisterial biography of Benedict XVI is based not just on meticulous research but on many hours or recorded interviews with the Pope Emeritus himself."-- Dust Jacket Benedict XVI: Volume One offers insight into the young life and rise through the Church's ranks of a man who would become a hero and a lightning rod for Catholics the world over. Based on countless hours of interviews in Rome with Benedict himself, this much-anticipated two-volume biography is the definitive record of the life of Joseph Ratzinger and the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI. Volume I follows the early life of the future Pope, from his days growing up in Germany and his conscription into the Hitler Youth during World War II to his career as an academic theologian and eventual Archbishop of Munich. Volume II, to be published in 2021, will cover his move to Rome under Pope John Paul II, his ascension to the papacy, and his controversial retirement and news-making statements under his successor, Pope Francis I. This necessary companion to Benedict's own memoir, Last Testament, is the fullest account to date of the life of a radical Catholic leader who has continued to make news while cloistered in retirement in the Vatican gardens. -- Provided by publisher Based on countless hours of interviews in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI himself, this first volume of an authoritative biography follows the early life of the future Pope, from his days growing up in Germany and his conscription into the Hitler Youth during World War II to his career as an academic theologian and eventual Archbishop of Munich