Light of the World: The Pope, The Church and the Signs Of The Times

Peter Seewald's "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Signs of the Times" is a gem. In it, the author shares a summary of conversations he had with Pope Benedict XVI on a wide range of issues - the abuse scandal, monogamous marriage, sexual morality, celibacy, ordination of women, politician's hijacking religion for political purpose, priestly ordination, social responsibility, the Regensburg lecture, Ecumenism, Protestantism, Evangelicalism, papal primacy the Vatican Council, contraception, the Curia, world debt, the new intolerance, Truth, and the dictatorship of relativism. As advertised by those who know him best (not the mainstream media), Benedict is a thoughtful and insightful Pope that sees the whole picture, the entirety of the human drama unfolding in today's world through the prism of humanity's origins and humanity's ultimate destiny."Light of the World" is well written and is encyclopedic with the range of topics covered. I found the book fascinating, provocative, enlightening, and inspirational. Those who doubted that the Roman Catholic Church was not in good hands with Ratzinger/Benedict would be wise to read this book. He is a brilliant teacher with a kind heart.Benedict feels the world has lost its story. The world must rediscover the truth about itself as we are losing things that we really cannot do without. This is a time for change, a time for conversion. The world has so many problems that need to be solved but they will not all be solved unless God stands in the center and becomes visible again. The task is to show God to the people to tell them the truth. The truth about the mysteries of creation; the truth about human existence; and the truth about our hope, which goes beyond merely worldly matters. Where did we come from? Where are we going?The following excerpts may help you to gain an appreciation for the gift Seewald has given us:On the abuse scandal - "The ecclesiastical penal law functioned until the late 1950s. After the mid-60s it simply was not applied anymore. The prevailing mentality was the church must not be a church of laws but, rather a church in love; she must not punish. The awareness that punishment can be an act of love ceased to exist. This led to an odd darkening of the mind. In this respect, there was a change of mentality about the law and the need for punishment. This also narrowed the concept of love, which in fact is not just being nice and courteous, but in truth is that I must punish someone who sinned against real love"... The abuse scandal should cause us to look at other abuses- abusive relationships, the abuse of our bodies and sexuality, and the abuse of my God given gifts. We simply cannot live in any way we please. God-given freedom is not arbitrary as it comes with an imperative to exercise freedom responsibly.On intolerance - A new intolerance is spreading. We are basically experiencing the abolition of tolerance. Christian faith is no longer allowed to express itself. We are no longer allowed to live out our identity. This is THE real threat we face.On progress - Is it progress if I can destroy? Is it progress if I myself can make, select, and dispose of human beings? Today, freedom is understood as the freedom to do anything. We have accepted the basic idea that progress is knowledge yields power. We can now destroy the world and lack the central perspective, namely the aspect of good. What is good? What is power? Is it just a matter of being ableBenedict notes, "today, the Church is the only thing that remains; the only refuge where there is humanity; something is being done for people. She is committed to proposition that life can go on -there can be care for the sick; children can come into the world and be raised. The church is a vital force that again and again creates new enthusiasm. St. Augustine said, ` world history is a battle between two forms of love - Love of self, to the point of destroying the world, and love of others, to the point of renouncing oneself."This is a very powerful book. Benedict's depth and ability to teach comes through on each page. I recommend this to all Catholics - active or lapsed - and to those who are not and do not understand the Church's role as "Light of the World." And Benedict's answer to "Has Christianity Simply Played Itself Out?" At this time, Christianity, as it has again and again over two millennium, is developing a new creativity that will answer the question of God in new ways.

What a shame. Pope Benedict XVI has given us his thoughts on modern Western culture, Islam, Orthodoxy, Judaism, relativism, the priesthood, the burden of being Pope, the sex abuse crisis, infallibility, marriage, and much more and the average person will only think about one word that gets a brief mention - condoms.Light of the World is the new book-length interview between German journalist, Peter Seewald and Pope Benedict XVI, who did two previous book-length interviews previous to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger being named to the papacy. This book is unprecedented, because never before has a Pope given such exclusive access with a no-holds-barred approach to a journalist. The book is just what you would expect it to be - an intelligent give-and-take between two men who respect one another. It certainly gives us an inside peek into the world of how the Pope lives and thinks.I have been blessed to read most of Benedict's major works and his other interviews and Light of the World may be the best way to introduce a novice to Benedict's way of thinking. He clearly illuminates his understanding of the problems that face the Church, modernity, and culture. He is neither naive about the situation nor is he pessimistic. Rather, he has a good feel for what is ailing modern man and what will help turn us around - faith in Jesus Christ.He understands that the proposal that the Church makes to the modern world is quite daunting - Jesus is the Lord of all of creation and died for our salvation. But, he also understands the urgent need our world has for this message, because if it is true, then there is nothing more important for the world to know.Benedict is honest and direct in his answers. You won't find any dodging of the tough question as a politician might. Rather, Benedict is quite honest the the human side of the Catholic Church is full of sinners who mess up all the time and that he himself has made errors. He is critical of the Church's communication efforts, among other issues, and his compassion for the victims of the sex abuse crisis is quite clear.Seewald is also to be commended. He asked questions that cut through the clutter and get to the heart of the matter. He isn't shy about asking tough questions, nor does he lack a sense of wit, which is evidenced by telling Benedict that he clearly lacks the personality of John Paul II. Benedict shrugs it off by saying he doesn't try to be anybody but himself.If there is anything lacking in the book, it might be the translation. There are several times that phrases seem to be awkward and punctuation seems out of place. The book was originally done in German and translated to English, which is probably where the problems arise.Light of the World helped me gain further insight into the Pope's thought process and understanding his opinions on a wide-range of topics. I highly recommend it for those interested in learning the same.

Ein Interview mit Papst Benedikt. Ich war an vielen Stellen positiv überrascht, von den guten Antworten Papst Benedikts. Vorher wusste ich fast nichts über ihn, nun ist mir seine Person vertraut und ich weiß, wie er denkt.Die Fragen sind nicht immer die Besten, aber es geht ja auch nicht darum den Fragesteller zu mögen. Habe es selber in Deutsch gelesen und dann in Englisch für meine amerikanische Frau gekauft, die es auch sehr gut fand.

Anyone who is truly interested in the truth, "Light of the World" is a must read. The book deals with the present situation of the world and it is a staight forward, down to earth response, by this intellectual Pope, to questions posed by Journalist Peter Seewald. I highly recommend as the content is something that all people need to ponder.

This book is quite different in style and content from other work by Pope Benedict xvi /Cardinal Ratzinger. It is definitely not a theology book. What it does, via an interview with a German journalist, is give a useful and clear view of the Pope's thoughts on a wide range of current issues and developments and the Church's response. There are also one or two personal insights which give it a human dimension. It is quite short ,easy to read and shows Benedict is more in touch than he is given credit for, and clearly acknowledges where things have gone wrong. The book will be interesting not only to Catholics but to anyone open to a broader and more balanced account of this Pope's personality and views than the one frequently portrayed in the media.

I am not a Catholic but having studied Theology at University, I enjoy reading about the subject from various viewpoints. This book shows Pope Benedict VXI to be an honest and a humble person. The answers given in the interview are heartfelt and above all, honest. I would recommend the reading of it, especially by those who are not of the Catholic "persuasion" This Pope is considered by some to be a controversial figure[given that he served in the German army during the second world war] but this interview shows that he is a deep seated thinking man with much to offer the Church and humanity.

As a staunch Vatican II Catholic I had been concerned that Pope Benedict was trying to turn the clock back - this interview shows that, on the contrary, he is even more of a reformer than his predecessor and that he has been very seriously mis-represented by both traditionalist and liberal Catholics and by the secular forces undermining Christian teaching. In this book, and in his own words, he shows tremendous wisdom and understanding of the real world, whilst nevertheless promoting timeless Gospel values. He also demonstrates a degree of humility which other, more vociferous, leaders and would-be opinion makers would do well to imitate.