Preview
  • God's Choice

  • Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church
  • By: George Weigel
  • Narrated by: George Weigel
  • Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (86 ratings)
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Publisher's summary

George Weigel's best-selling biography of Pope John Paul II, Witness to Hope, set the standard by which all portraits of the modern papacy are now measured. With God's Choice, he gives us an extraordinary chronicle of the rise of Pope Benedict XVI as well as an unflinching view of the Catholic Church at the dawn of a new era.

When John Paul II lapsed into illness for the last time, people flocked from all over the world to pray outside his apartment. He had become a father figure to millions in a world bereft of strong paternal examples, and those millions now felt orphaned. After more than 26 years of John Paul II's guidance, the Catholic Church is entering a new age, with its bedrock traditions intact but with pressing questions to address in a rapidly changing world. Beginning with the story of John Paul's final months, God's Choice offers a remarkable inside account of the conclave that produced Benedict XVI as the next Pope, drawing on George Weigel's unrivaled access to this complex event.

Weigel also incisively surveys the current state of the Church around the world: its thriving populations in Africa, Latin America, and parts of the post-communist world; its collapse in western Europe; its continued struggles in Asia; and the vibrancy of many aspects of Catholic life in the United States, even as the Church in America struggles to overcome its recent experience of scandal.

Reflecting on John Paul II's greatness, drawing on first-hand interviews to paint an intimate portrait of the new Pope, and boldly assessing the Church's current condition, God's Choice is an invaluable book for anyone seeking to understand the Catholic future and the larger human future the Church will help to shape.

©2005 George Weigel (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers
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Critic reviews

"Magisterial....Authoritative....An exemplary book." (Booklist)

What listeners say about God's Choice

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it does great for getting background

Would you consider the audio edition of God's Choice to be better than the print version?

if you're looking for a biography on Pope Benedict, you should probably look elsewhere. Biscuits in the details of the selection process. It also gives extensive background to the climate and the overall condition of the church as well as the papacy he inherits. that is followed by some educated speculation of what his papacy will consist of. a good amount of the book is just review of his other book witness to hope.

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Great insights into the pope Benedict

Great book to better understand the working of the Catholic Church. Also good insights into the pope Benedict

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Interesting

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would.

As a practicing Catholic it seems important to no about the head of my church.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The most compelling thing is having a love of my church and all it stands for and the transition from a true leader to another.

Which scene was your favorite?

the funeral of the prior Pope and the Conclave to bring in the new one.

If you could give God's Choice a new subtitle, what would it be?

Transmission of a Spiritual Leader

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2 people found this helpful