GEORGE WEIGEL, Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington's Ethics and Public Policy Center, is one of the world's leading authorities on the Catholic Church. The Vatican analyst for NBC News, Weigel is the author of fifteen books, including theNew York TimesbestsellerWitness to Hope- The Biography of Pope John Paul II. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Praise for The End and the Beginning
“The author of the landmark Witness to Hope has now finished the
story he began so brilliantly. In his new book, George
Weigel–biographer and theologian–details John Paul II's battle
against totalitarianism and chronicles the Holy Father's humble
acceptance of suffering at the end of earthly life. As ever, Weigel
writes with confidence, clarity, and insight.”
– Jon Meacham, Editor of Newsweek and Pulitzer Prize Winning Author
of American Lion
“The saga of John Paul the Second is now complete; unveiled with a
grace and eloquence that only George Weigel could summon. Here is
the final act of a life of "serenity and adventure," told from the
inside. The personal drama of John Paul's last days and his heroic
public acts in the face of incredible obstacles, both move and
inspire. For anyone who cares about the witness of faith and
the mysterious power of suffering, this work is not to be missed.
Weigel has given us a biography as luminous and lasting as the life
it captures.”
– Raymond Arroyo, New York Times Bestselling Author of Mother
Angelica and host of EWTN's "The World Over"
“We’ve been awaiting it for a decade – since his acclaimed Witness
to Hope – and George Weigel’s The End and the Beginning is
well-worth the wait! It is impossible to comprehend fully the
twentieth century without considering John Paul II, and it is
difficult to appreciate him without plunging into this book, an
enjoyable task indeed.”
– Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York
“Weigel has written what can only be described as an unforgettable
book – a portrait of Karol Wojtyla, his Church and his times that
vividly captures one of the central characters of the last 100
years. Compellingly written, rich in drama and exhaustive in its
research, this is the definitive work on the life and legacy of the
Polish Pope, and a crowning sequel to Weigel’s Witness to
Hope.”
– Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of
Denver
“This magnificent sequel to George Weigel's Witness to Hope
includes a compelling account of John Paul II's last years as well
as an insightful assessment of the great Pope's legacy. But
the most fascinating section of the book is a detailed and
well-documented study of John Paul's long struggle against
Communism, from his days as a seminarian through the dramatic
events of the 1980's. Throughout this study, Weigel's
intellectual acuity, his fine prose style, and his passion for the
church are on clear display. If there was any doubt on the
matter, The End and the Beginning proves that George Weigel is the
great singer of the song of Karol Wojtyla.”
– Robert Barron, The Catholicism Project
“In this sequel to Witness to Hope, George
Weigel has put the final touches on his definitive
portrait of John Paul the Great. With the aid of newly
available material, he has filled out his account
of Wojtyla's role in the demise of European
communism with the story of the relentless campaign
that Soviet-era operatives were waging against their
feared Polish antagonist in those years. With his
insights into Vatican diplomacy, his portrayal of the
aging pontiff's struggles with challenges to the
Church in the postmodern world, and his judicious assessment
of his subject's spiritual and intellectual legacy,
Weigel has given us yet another masterpiece of
biography.”
– Mary Ann Glendon, Professor of Law, Harvard
University and Former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See
“Here is the story in full of a life lived in fullness. George
Weigel completes the work begun in Witness to Hope. He spells out
the significance of a supremely significant life. John Paul II was
a pope not just for our time, but for the ages. His closing years
offered a renewed witness with very public deeds of love and
suffering. Yet this is not an exercise in nostalgia. Weigel
doesn't shrink from the charges of the pontiff's critics, and he
provides a courageous analysis of the man's handling of the
Church's sexual and financial scandals. It's difficult to predict
how history will judge our contemporaries. In this case, though,
Weigel makes it abundantly clear.”
– Dr. Scott Hahn, Nationally Bestselling Author of Signs of Life
and The Lamb’s Supper
“This book is the Rosetta Stone of John Paul II's life and legacy.
Only George Weigel's masterful combination of rare opportunities
and rarer intuitive skill could do justice to John Paul II's epic
life that changed the world. If you really want to know John
Paul II and his legacy, The End and the Beginning is indispensable
reading. More than a sequel to Witness to Hope, this is the
climax – an interpretive key like no other.”
– Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight and Chief Executive Officer of
the Knights of Columbus and New York Times Bestselling Author of
Civilization of Love and Our Lady of Guadalupe
“George Weigel has already given the world the definitive biography
of Pope John Paul II, and this is an indispensable second volume.
It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the man
and the Church he led for a quarter-century.”
– John L. Allen Jr., author of The Future Church
“As a young man, Karol Wojtyla studied drama, but the greatest
human drama of the second half of the twentieth century is the
story of his life, his calling, his pontificate. George
Weigel draws upon his immense personal knowledge and his finely
tuned sense of history to describe the last act of John Paul’s life
and offer a balanced and appreciative review of the play.
This is a book for everyone who wants to be informed about the life
of the Catholic Church in recent times, but those who knew and
loved the late Pope are especially in Weigel’s debt.”
– Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago
“Those of us who waited expectantly for the sequel to George
Weigel’s towering biography of Pope John Paul II, Witness to Hope,
now have every reason to celebrate the appearance of The End and
the Beginning. Few modern biographers accomplish the likes of
Weigel’s achievement, so evident in these volumes.”
– Most Reverend Edwin F. O’Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore
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