His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time

Carl Bernstein

Doubleday Religious Publishing Group, 1996 - Religion - 582 pages

With the same meticulous reporting skills and narrative excitement that went into "All the President's Men" and "The Final Days," journalists Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi provide an astonishing look at Pope John Paul II--the foremost political figure of our time. In their research, Bernstein and Politi have had unprecedented access to rare sources of information in Rome, Washington, and Moscow, including formerly top-secret Soviet files. Through these fascinating documents, "His Holiness" allows the reader a previously impossible glimpse inside the inner workings of the Soviet hierarchy, and shows how the Soviets recognized the serious threat John Paul II posed to their survival--even a the start of his papacy. Startling Politburo minutes show Brezhnev, Andropov, and other key figures heatedly discussing at length how to handle the pope--even within days of the nearly successful assassination attempt. Yet, John Paul II would come to dominate his era much as Churchill dominated his, ultimately fashioning an alliance with Reagan to reverse Yalta and hasten the demise of Communism.
Surprisingly, it was not for his political instincts that he rose through church ranks; rather he is the first prelate in history to rise to the papacy based on his work in the field of sexual morality--as writer, researcher, and counselor to young couples.
"His Holiness" succeeds where other studies have failed at capturing the humanness of John Paul II, and it explains the inner mysteries of the man who has set the Catholic Church on an unmistakable course that has both divided and uplifted the billion members of his church. What also emerges is the unknown story of a boy who turned to God afterlosing all his closest family members and whose unbelievable destiny was shaped by a youth in the midst of Nazi (and later Communist) Europe. However controversial, Pope John Paul II's iron will and strong convictions have made him the great moral leader of our time.

What people are saying

Review: His Holiness

User Review  - Jason - Goodreads

A very compelling read that gives a good history of of John Paul II. Its not an all encompassing history and does leave out large portions of his life. However, the areas it does cover, especially his ...

Review: His Holiness

User Review  - David Patrick - Goodreads

Well first of all, "(authors)set the standard for modern investigative journalism with his Pulitzer Prize-winning Watergate reporting..." so that doesn't tell you, the reader something to begin ...

About the author

Carl Bernstein is a contributing editor for "Vanity Fair" magazine and has written for a variety of publications. He is the author of "Loyalties: A Son's Memoir, " and has coauthored "His Holiness: John Paul II" and the "History of Our Time" with Marco Politi, as well as "All the President's Men" and "The Final Days" with Bob Woodward.

Heinz-Joachim Fischer is a writer for the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Rome. Luigi Accattoli is a journalist and author of several books on John Paul II, including "When a Pope Asks Forgiveness: The Mea Culpa's of Pope John Paul II. Arthur Hertzberg, rabbi and Jewish scholar, is professor emeritus of religion at Dartmouth College and author of "A Jew in America. Hansjakob Stehle is a Vatican specialist who was for many years a correspondent for the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and "Die Zeit. Marco Politi, coauthor with Carl Bernstein of "His Holiness: John Paul II and the History of Our Time, contributes regularly to "La Repubblica and "Il Messaggero.

Bibliographic information

• Title: His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time
• Author: Carl Bernstein
• Contributor: Marco Politi
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Doubleday Religious Publishing Group, 1996
• ISBN: 0385472374, 9780385472371
• Length: 582 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Christianity / Catholic