The Encyclicals Of John Paul Ii

These are the documents that make history, and perhaps more than any of his other writings they distill the essence of the Holy Father's thought. Here they are in one meticulously prepared volume. The texts are the official Vatican translations, not unreliable "inclusive language" paraphrases. Extensive introductions place each encyclical in history, summarize the main points, and relate it to the other encyclicals. An essential reference for every school or parish library, and hours of thought-provoking reading for any sincere seeker of truth.

This is the first book to focus in depth on Pope John Paul II's fourteen encyclicals, through which he communicated many of the key themes of his papacy. The first part of the book provides helpful background information on the pope's life and teachings, while the second part of the book comprehensively discusses the encyclicals.

A study of Pope John Paul II's encyclicals reveals the vision and strategy of his pontificate. It is a vis-ion which at once recalls the mysteries of faith and appeals to all men and women of good will to build the future on a firm spiritual and ethical foundation.

Popes are the Church's chief shepherds. While some focused on governing the Church and addressing challenges from the world, others recognized their primary responsibility to proclaim and teach the Gospel. Author Alan Schreck calls these the "teaching popes" and John Paul II was such a pope, leading the Church and impacting the world with his witness and his teaching. The encyclical letter has been, in modern times, the instrument for popes to express their most important teaching teachings that have lasting value for the Church, and often for the whole world. Dr. Schreck invites the reader to become familiar with the encyclical letters of Pope John Paul II. In The Legacy of Pope John Paul II, Dr. Schreck breaks down more scholarly writing into accessible language. The reflection questions and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter help facilitate a systematic study of the central teachings of this brilliant but pastoral pope, who conveyed the truth in love.

John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language, an Orbis bestseller, now includes the Pope's most recent encyclical Fides et Ratio ("Faith and Reason"). Father Donders gives us the gist of this complex encyclical and the twelve that preceded it in easy-to-read sense lines. In a penetrating epilogue entitled "The Man and the Message", Father Donders offers a profound interpretation of John Paul II's legacy and the unity of his thirteen encyclicals. Here Donders shows that the pope's teaching is best understood as an expression of his fundamental intuition into the meaning of Christianity.

While pontiff, Saint John Paul II brought forth an abundance of documents which will continue to be a permanent source of enrichment for the Church and society. This volume of summaries of the Pope’s major documents, with questions for study, makes these invaluable writings more accessible to each of us, and emphasizes the aspects of his teachings of most interest and application to the lives of the laity. For personal, small group, or class enrichment, John Fagan’s summaries help expose and illuminate the heart and mind of one of the Church’s greatest figures in history. John E. Fagan is an attorney who lives and works in Northern Virginia. He was born in Philadelphia and was raised in Colorado Springs. He has degrees from the University of Notre Dame (BA), Northwestern University (JD), and New York University (LLM).