{"product_id":"benedict-up-close-book-paul-badde-9781682780381","title":"Benedict Up Close","description":"Benedict Up Close brings you a unique glimpse into the behind-the-scenes drama of Pope Benedict's pontificate: witness firsthand his many triumphs, public and private, as well as the hostility he experienced. Drawing from many conversations with Benedict as well as from his extensive interviews with members of the Pope's inner circle, Rome-based journalist Paul Badde provides exciting accounts of Pope Benedict's near-superhuman struggles on the frontlines of the Church's perennial war against godlessness and despair. You'll be there as Benedict surfers eight years of unremitting trials, from the Regensburg Islamic controversy to the Vatileaks scandal. These often-surprising pages will give you a deeper appreciation of Pope Benedict's goodness and help you understand why he alone could have successfully steered the Barque of Peter through the storms that assailed the Church during his pontificate. From this eloquent close-up of Pope Benedict, you'll learn: How this son of a policeman became the \"Thomas Aquinas of our time\", How his experiences in Nazi Germany impacted his papacy and the Church, Why he compared election to the Papacy to being guillotined, Why this shy and exceedingly kind man met with more ill will than any other Pope in decades, How his Regensburg call for religious freedom became one of the most explosive documents of the century, How, even as Pope, Benedict remained an outsider, Why he took every free moment to complete his book on Jesus, Why his every word was disputed in the popular press and why, nonetheless, he refused to let himself he driven by public opinion, Why, while embracing Vatican II, he reintroduced the Tridentine Mass, Why, despite death threats from Al Qaeda, he risked his life to travel to Turkey, What led his trusted valet to steal the Pope's letters and betray his secrets, The real reason why he resigned Book jacket.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49541821432081,"sku":"GOR009725682","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49777312235793,"sku":"CIN1682780384G","price":4.36,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50691518890257,"sku":"CIN1682780384VG","price":6.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52093751951633,"sku":"GOR009885982","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":53065909338385,"sku":"CIN1682780384A","price":6.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1682780384.jpg?v=1751425015","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/benedict-up-close-book-paul-badde-9781682780381","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}