Stories about Saint John Paul II: Told by His Close Friends and Co-Workers
While shaping the history of the Church and the world, Pope John Paul II lived his daily life among individuals who knew him closely as a spiritual father, a colleague, and a friend. They both served and were served by the most influential saint of the twentieth century. Polish journalist Wlodzimierz Redzioch, a longtime employee of the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, interviewed almost two dozen men and women for this book. Among them are lifelong friends who knew the pope (as Karol Wojtyla) in Krakow and people who cared for him during his pontificate, such as his physician and his secretary. Also here recalling their memories of the pope are some of those who worked beside him inside the Vatican--a papal photographer, a papal spokesman, and curial officials, including the German cardinal who became his successor, Joseph Ratzinger. All of those interviewed tell remarkable stories about Pope John Paul II--beginning with his courageous witness in Communist Poland and his impo