The Enduring Legacy of John Paul Ii

Abstract

Ronald Rychlak reviews George Weigel’s The End and the Beginning, the long-awaited complement to Weigel’s early work documenting Pope John Paul II’s life, Witness to Hope. The book, divided into three main sections, reveals John Paul II’s battles with Soviet Communism, details his efforts to spread Catholic teachings, and discusses his inner motivation and place in history. Rychlak applauds Weigel for his dutiful research and chronicling of the secret war between the Vatican and Soviet Union. In addition, Rychlak appreciates Weigel’s ability to show John Paul II as a real human being — a genius with a sense of humor and warrior with a tender heart — who, in his early years, confronted Communism, and, in his later years, faced many difficult issues including the sex scandal of the Catholic Church, calls for resignation, Islamic terrorism, and the war in Iraq.

Keywords: John Paul II, Weigel, Witness to Hope, The End and the Beginning, Pope, Papal

JEL Classification: B31