Pope Benedict XVI: Successor to Peter

The eyes of the world are on the new Pope Benedict XVI as never before and there has been a tremendous demand for fresh insight into the life and career of this powerful man--"well known for his hard-line perspective on church law and politics. Michael Collins, who has an intimate knowledge of Vatican affairs and has met Pope Benedict XVI on several occasions, has written a balanced, succinct, and highly-readable biography of the new pope for those who would like to know him better. POPE BENEDICT XVI describes the former Cardinal Ratzinger in both a human and historical context. Starting with the pope's early years in Bavaria and his youth during the Second World War, he goes to describe his academic career, which included teaching positions at four state universities. During the landmark Second Vatican Council Dr. Ratzinger served chief theological advisor to Cardinal Josef Frings of Cologne and then returned to teaching. He was awarded the chair of dogmatic theology at the University of Tubingen, all appointment for which he was endorsed by prominent liberal theologinn Hans Kung. However, in reaction to the student riots and unrest of 1968, Dr. Ratzinger rejected his earlier liberalism and embraced a more rigid and orthodox Catholicism. He was appointed Archbishop of Munich in 1977. Four years later, he was named Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the position he held for twenty-five years and for which he became best-known. Now, at the age of 78, all eyes are upon him as he begins a new career as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. In POPE BENEDICT XVI, Michael Collins provides a closer look at the man whose decisions will profoundly impact both I Catholicismand the world for years to come.