Download And Enjoy Last Testament: In His Own Words Articulated By Pope Benedict XVI Supplied As Print

Benedict made history by being the first Pope in overyears to resign from office, The Catholic Church the world over was stunned, Worn out by corruption in the Church and by an endless series of clerical sex scandals, he decided that the resolution of all these problems was outside his power for a man of his age.


Last Testament is nearest to an autobiography from the shy and private man who has remained “hidden to the world” in a former convent in the Vatican gardens.
He breaks his silence on issues such as:

The “Vatileaks” case in which his butler leaked some of his personal letters that alleged corruption and scandal in the Vatican
The presence of a “gay lobby” within the Vatican and how he dismantled it
His alleged Nazi upbringing
His attempts at cleaning up the “dirt in the church” clerical sexual abuse
The mysterious private secretary “Gorgeous George”

On a more personal level he

writes with great warmth of his successor Pope Francis, who he admits has a popular touch, a star quality which he has lacked.
Much controversy still surrounds Pope Benedicts Papacyin this book he addresses these controversies and reveals how at his late age, governing and reforming the Papacy and particularly the Vatican, was beyond him.
It's rare hearing Pope Benedict give off the cuff remarks, and this book is really full of it, Just confirms how much of a humble and holy man he is, full of faith, with a firm and deep understanding.
A very candid interview with a Pope who was an excellent teacher and writer, but recognized his limitations in administration, He is now back to studying and reading, This was a marvelous final interview with the great Pope Benedict XVI, As I read through these pages, I became increasingly convinced that we have a future doctor of the Church among us.
un verdadero regalo Profundo, interesante, el Papa emérito repasa de nuevo su vida con los ojos de su actual situación.
Analiza también la situación d ella Iglesia y el mundo con optimismo y esperanza, Una mente lúcida que no deja de insistir en el papel de la oración en la vida de todo creyente.
I actually preordered this by accident or I'd never have read it, As it turns out, I'm glad I did,

Journalist Peter Seewald continues the interview format that he used for his previous books with Pope Benedict XVI, This book serves not only as Pope Benedict's last testament but as a good overview of his entire life, I was interested in reading about the decision to step down as pope and what Benedict's life has been like since.
I was much less interested in his life story but am glad that I read it because it gave me a much better understanding of his journey in faith.
I never realized that as a young man Joseph Ratzinger Pope Benedict was a progressive who was considered possibly dangerous and who was good friends with Hans Kung.
Ultimately Ratzinger chose to adhere closely to the liturgy in his zeal to bring the church into better touch with modern times.
And that has made all the difference,

I didn't give thisbecause I wasn't familiar with some of the theologians or controversies which Seewald kept coming back to.
However, even in reading about those one gets a look at Pope Benedict and how he approaches conflict,

Very interesting overall, a super fast read, and I found it ultimately inspiring, As if it was an ordinary thing to read an interview with the Pope Emeritus

Kind of strange feeling knowing that it might be last time he offers his wisdom and as he did all the time as the cardinal and later as the Pope, he simply puts the threads of his thoughts together.
Humbly yet wisely.

As many, I have read his interviews before, so I am accustomed to the style of Peter Seewald who sometimes writes at very large.
Yet, this time, I guess because of knowing that it is the last one, I was a little bit impatient to get to the answers and not to spend eternity with questions.


Inspiring, thoughtful, spiritual But if you are still searching for THE answers of abdication or the scandals well, you might not find it in here Of course it getsstars.
It's Benedict. But I will say in order of superiority noting that I've yet to read the Ratzinger Report, . . but that wasn't a Seewald interview:

, Salt of the Earth is the absolute best, It's just such a good book,

. Light of the World is really good,

. Last Testament is really good, but likeof it was covering the same ground as the other interviews, I think this book was made because Seewald is going to write a definitive biography of Benedict, so he needed the do one last get together.


. God and the World. I just haven't been able to read it all the way through yet, I think it's because it's more of a theological treatise and less about church politics, I like reading theology, but for some reason it doesn't work in the interview setting,

Read it if you love Benedict, But I will say, there was a lot of name dropping without any context like if you don't know who Hugo Rahner, Karl Rahner, Balthasar, de Lubac, or any of the heads of vatican offices are then you are going to get confused.


He does go into more detail about his relationships with different people which I found very interesting, but overall it's always fun to listen to Benedict talk about his life and thought.
Reading this book is like getting to know that German grandpa of yours that you're not super close with even though you've visited with him a few times and enjoyed his timeless wisdom, but you figured now's probably a good time to get to know him better since he's nearing death.
Then he starts telling you his life story and there are some parts you really could care less about, but there's some things that give you a completely different perspective on his character and makes you wish you'd known him better growing up.
You realize your grandpa was a beerdrinking, sofaloving, faithfilled man of God,
I'm not a big fan of books set up in interview format and there were some sections of the interview that I admittedly skimmed through.
But anyone who desires a glimpse at the resilient yet tender heart of our "papa", Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, needs to give this book a read.
Vis labiau ir labiau pamilstu Benediktą, Belieka sėsti lėktuvan ir skristi į Romą, This is the second full audiobook I finish even though I tagged The Decameron as such, I read it half and half, both in PDF and audiobook format, and it was a nice experience.
Definitely the format is fitting as it is a long interview, the last given by Benedict XVI,

Many topics are touched upon, partly biographical, partly theological in a sense but it reads more as what it is meant to be, some statement of retirement.
I liked many insights, especially the recognition of the unintended on the Church's part existence of two factions aka 'traditionalists' and 'progressives', but there also are notes of interest such as what living under Nazism meant and the awareness there was in his family, at least regarding certain aspects, since the horrors were more evident when the war ended also the work to do in Germany to reunify the Church, etc.


I think the only thing that would downrate the book is that the last two chapters are just the footnotes and a chronology the footnotes section feels dry, it's a complicated issue to solve, but I think I would have them read at the end of the chapter in question.


An excellent Lent read, Whether or not anything else is published under Joseph Ratzinger's name, this reads as his goodbye, Pope Benedict is as clear transcribed as in writingand he is crystalline in his writingbut there is an added warmth in the transcription.
The Seewald interviews are among my favourite Ratzinger books because of this, but it is perhaps especially appropriate in the context of Last Testament.


The content of the book is aboutbiographical, spanning Joseph Ratzinger's childhood through his papacy, material for the biography Seewald intends/ed to write though, personally, I wonder if I would enjoy a biography, even in capable hands, as much as the interviewsthere would be more content, since other people's perspectives on the Pope Emeritus would be integrated, but it would be at a further remove.
The restthe initialor so of the bookis a reaction to Pope Benedict's resignation, Leading with this and then traversing Benedict's life up to that point may contain redundancies for some readers, but this feels appropriate: this book is the conclusion to the essay that is Benedict's life.
The various parts of recapitulated and put in the context of the whole,

I waswhen John Paul II died and Benedict XVI announced his impending resignation on myth birthday which.
. . made for a dour mood that day, He was the pope of my formative years, from World Youth Day, through seminary and leaving seminary and leaving Canada and getting married.
As an academic and a German and an introvert, as someone too Vatican II for the SSPX and too continuity for the liberal fringe, he was a pope I always identified with.
I have missed his papacy, flawed though it was, and I dread the day when he moves onthe last of my grandfathers, so to speak, to pass away.
Short, entertaining and easytoread, this is apparently the last interview given by Pope Benedict, It shows the vision, in spite of his considerable intellectual ability, of a simple man of faith, with a great love for God and Holy Church.
Molto interessante e a tratti commovente nei primi capitoli, dove si trattano temi di fondo, Poi l'intervistatore si lancia in un dettagliato excursus storico, con molte domande e questioni irrilevanti su fatti e personaggi della storia teologica ed ecclesiastica dell'ultimo secolo, non molto interessanti per chi non li ha conosciuti.


Ritorna un po' di interesse nell'ultima parte, ovviamente perché l'ordine cronologico arriva ad affrontare l'epoca e le questioni che tutti abbiamo vissuto.


Splende la disarmante semplicità di un uomo che non ha mai avuto interesse per le trame e l'apparenza, e ora meno che mai.
Si percepisce una grande pace nei confronti degli eventi e delle persone passate, Si apprezza l'annotazione delle frequenti risate e sorrisi del Papa e anche alcune battute di spirito, Colpisce anche il distacco con cui parla di suoi difetti: la timidezza, i discorsi non sempre ben preparati, una certa dose di testardaggine, i problemi di salute.
. .

A volte le domande dell'intervistatore sembrano stonare rispetto allo stile e al clima psicologico dell'intervistato, Ma Benedetto non abbocca mai: a domande sciocche o di gossip risponde laconicamente o con una battuta e lascia cadere, .