USCCB Announces New Book About Pope Benedict XVI to be Released September 19

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), with Sheed & Ward, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, will release September 19 Benedict XVI: Essays and Reflections on His Papacy, an unprecedented look into the first five years of Benedict's reign. Edited by Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the USCCB, it features forewords by King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Shimon Peres of Israel, and articles by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, USCCB president, and John Thavis, Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service.

Benedict XVI: Essays and Reflections on His Papacy will be in bookstores in late September. Special promotions with Borders and Barnes & Noble will take place in late September and early October. The book will also be available from online booksellers such as Amazon.com and directly from the USCCB (www.usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=1475).

Elegantly designed and produced in the style of the USCCB's award-winning tribute to Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II: A Light for the World, the new book features more than 100 full-color photographs. Images range from formal public appearances and meetings with world leaders and lay Catholics around the globe, to quiet moments of personal study or contemplation.  

"Pope Benedict's first five years reveal a man who can walk calmly through troubled times as he seeks to heal wounds and bring people together," says the book's editor, Sister Mary Ann Walsh. "He has faced the searing sexual abuse scandal with compassion and moved head-on to meet inter-religious challenges to build understanding among diverse people. He has addressed the problems of contemporary society and highlighted for the world the moral implications of environmentalism and the unequal distribution of the world's resources. He has urged the church to spread the Gospel both through witness and prayer and through every modern means of communication. He is a leader with the wisdom of years, and a graced theologian who helps men and women to take their rightful place in today's world."

Essays by USCCB staff illuminate the pope's life and work as Pilgrim, Pastor, and Prophet and include topics such as his response to the sex abuse crisis; support of Africa, China, and Latin America; relations with Jews and Muslims; papal travels; liturgical reform; human rights, justice, war and peace, bioethics, the environment, and immigration; and his use of social media.

Personal reflections by friends and church leaders Cardinal Edward Egan, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap., Cardinal Justin Rigali, Sister Eileen McCann, CSJ, Ambassador Johnny Young and many more, provide a glimpse into the warm, human aspect of Benedict, including his sense of humor. The book also includes excerpts from Pope Benedict's writings and an extensive resource section.

Keywords: Pope Benedict XVI, book, first five years, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, Cardinal Francis George, John Thavis, King Abdullah II, President Shimon Peres, USCCB, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Benedict XVI: Essays and Reflections on His Papacy

Forewords by King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Shimon Peres of Israel

Edited by Sister Mary Ann Walsh, RSM

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Sheeds & Ward, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

$29.95 cloth, 224 pages, 8 x 10  More than 100 full-color photographs

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops