“This book is . . . my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord.’” –Benedict XVIIn this bold, momentous work, the Pope––in his first book written as Benedict XVI––seeks to salvage the person of Jesus from recent “popular” depictions and to restore Jesus’ true identity as discovered in the Gospels. Through his brilliance as a theologian and his personal conviction as a believer, the Pope shares a rich, compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of Jesus and incites us to encounter, face-...

In four superb homilies and a concluding essay, Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, provides a clear and inspiring exploration of the Genesis creation narratives.While the stories of the world's creation and the fall of humankind have often been subjected to reductionism of one sort or another — literalists treat the Bible as a science textbook whereas rationalists divorce God from creation — Ratzinger presents a rich, balanced Catholic understanding of these early biblical wri...

For centuries, the use of Latin in the liturgy has been under attack.In these pages, Pope Benedict XIV (1675–1758) offers a convincing defense for the use of Latin as the normative liturgical language in the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. Although the attacks over the use of Latin in Pope Benedict XIV's time stemmed primarily from the Protestant schism, the objections today are very similar. With charity and reason, the Holy Father seeks to bring clarity to this most important ...

During the late Crusader period the Roman Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church attempted to establish an ecclesiastical union, under the auspices of similar doctrines and as a means of political alliance with the Latin held crusader states.This attempt at union was short-lived and merited little in terms of ecumenical dialogue. In 1341, Pope Benedict XII issues this document, serving as a polemic against members of the Armenian Church which did not see eye-to-eye with Rome in ...

For Christians, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, and who rose from the dead in triumph over sin and death. For non-Christians, he is almost anything else--a myth, a political revolutionary, a prophet whose teaching was misunderstood or distorted by his followers.Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and no myth, revolutionary, or misunderstood prophet, insists Benedict XVI. He thinks that the best of historical scholarship, while it can't "pro...

After Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI resigned from the papacy in 2013, he never stopped thinking or writing. Near the end of his life, he and editor Elio Guerriero gathered together a whole volume of new material, dealing with the themes closest to his heart. The pope asked that it be published upon his death.This final work is What Is Christianity? It takes up a kaleidoscopic array of themes: the Christian faith's relationship with other religions, especially Judaism and Isla...

In celebration of the 2021 visit to the University of Notre Dame by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as the thirtieth anniversary of his election, this groundbreaking volume gathers together and introduces eleven important joint statements from the patriarch, addressing diverse topics from climate change to ecumenical dialogue.As the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, His All-Holiness Bartholomew, Orthodox Archbishop of Constant...

Pope Benedict XVI's second encyclical, Saved In Hope, ("Spe Salvi" in Latin) takes its title from St. Paul, who wrote, "In hope we have been saved". In this special deluxe hardcover edition of the work, the Holy Father continues a line of thought he began with his first encyclical, God is Love.Love and Hope are closely related in the spiritual life. Love of God involves hope or trust in God. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The virtue o...

What did Pope Benedict XVI teach and preach when he was out of the limelight, behind closed doors, among friends? In his late years, after the noise of the papacy had quieted down, how did he understand Scripture, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Christian life? When he had the room to be vulnerable, what did he say about the heart of his own spirituality?In The Lord Holds Us by the Hand, we experience a different side of Joseph Ratzinger. This collection of private homilies—al...

Prayer is essential to the life of faith. In this book, based on Pope Benedict's weekly teachings, he examines the foundational principles of the life of prayer. Believers of various backgrounds and experience in prayer-from beginners to spiritually advanced-will be enriched by this spiritual masterpiece.Benedict begins considering what we can learn from the examples of prayer found in a wide range of cultures and eras. Next, he turns to the Bible's teaching about prayer, beginning...

For the first time, the 10 great speeches of Benedict XVI's pontificate are collected. From the first homily delivered as soon as he became pope to the last public hearing, these speeches reveal the depth of his theological reflection in simple language that has nourished the faith of millions.Since Pope Benedict XVI died he has had a remarkably good press. Indeed many have argued that there is a natural evolution between Pope Benedicts mission and that of his succ...

In this collection of his writings, Pope Benedict XVI speak to the important relationships between the environment, Catholic social teaching, and theology.During his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI repeatedly drew attention to the environment. He spoke of preserving it, such as his address concerning the Amazon rainforest and his letter regarding the Arctic, and of distributing its vital resources—such as water—more equitably. Benedict led by example wh...