John Paul II: A Personal Portrait of the Pope and the Man FROM OUR EDITORS
As the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II presides over the religious lives of millions of people around the globe. But very few of those people have had the opportunity to know the pope as well as former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Raymond Flynn. In John Paul II: A Personal Portrait of the Pope and the Man, Flynn offers an intimate and detailed account of both the person and the papacy behind John Paul II.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The former U. S. ambassador to the Vatican gives a personal, inspiring and intimate portrait of John Paul II and his revolutionary term as Pope.
Drawing on years of personal interaction with the pope, and on his unique understanding of the intersection of Catholicism and politics, former US. ambassador to the Vatican and mayor of Boston Raymond Flynn shows how John Paul II changed the papacy, perhaps forever.
Unlike any other pope, and indeed, unlike any other person, John Paul II has reached out, creating dialogue or creating uproar, but always striving to unite the human community. Flynn (with co-author Robin Moore, the bestselling author of The French Connection) gives an intimate, compelling, and comprehensive portrait of John Paul II's controversial papacy, from his origins in Poland to his impact on the American people and their politics, and his travels to the far corners of the world.
About the Authors:Raymond Flynn served as US. Ambassador to the Vatican from 1993-1997, and as the mayor of Boston from 1984-1993. He hosts a daily, nationally syndicated political radio talk show, and lives in Boston with his wife and six children.
Robin Moore is the best-selling author of The French Connection and The Green Berets, as well as more than thirty other novels and nonfiction books. He lives with his wife in Concord, Massachusetts.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
As U.S. ambassador to the Vatican from 1993 to 1997, Flynn had the ultimate dream job for a politician who also happened to be a devout Catholic. Now, with the term of the president who appointed him at an end, he has parlayed his four-year assignment in Rome into a memoir. His "Portrait of the Pope," written in collaboration with Moore, author of The French Connection, is largely a warm recollection of the special and intimate moments Flynn enjoyed in the presence of the pope. It begins in 1969 with their first meeting in Boston, long before the former Karol Wojtyla was elected pope, and ends late in Jubilee Year 2000 as Flynn visits Rome one last time. The book's most compelling narration is an account of the battle the pope waged in 1994 over the Clinton administration's efforts to advance its views on abortion at the United Nations Conference for Population and Development in Cairo. Flynn, a pro-life Democrat who agreed with the pope despite his ties to the president, writes candidly about the difficulty he experienced in fulfilling the pope's request to talk with Clinton before the conference. Although he is an unabashed admirer of the pontiff, Flynn also deals in the book with John Paul's increasing frailty and the discouragement the pope felt following the Cairo conference. For readers less inclined to tackle the more substantive papal biographies, Flynn's portrait provides a light alternative. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Focusing mainly on his and his family's personal contacts with Pope John Paul II while he served as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican (1993-97), Flynn, who also served as mayor of Boston (1984-93), provides insight into the life, motives, and actions of the Pontiff. With coauthor Moore (The French Connection), the author describes his on-the-scene impressions, from the Pope's visit to Boston in 1978 to current speculations as to his successor. Admiration for his subject grew as he became increasingly aware of the pope's global knowledge, keen intellect, and sharp memory for personal detail even as his physical condition weakened. Flynn sees John Paul as a complex personality of uncompromising principles, at ease with the great and the lowly, reaching out personally to all peoples in love. This descriptive profile also highlights John Paul's humor and directness. Recommended as an optional purchase for public and academic libraries. Anna M. Donnelly, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A loving, tender portrait. For readers who don't want to plow through George Weigel's hefty biography of John Paul II (Witness to Hope, 1999), this slender volume by former US Ambassador to the Vatican Flynn (A Public Body, 1998) is a good choice. The author first met the future pope in 1969. At the time, Flynn was a candidate for state representative in Massachusetts, and Karol Wojtyla (as he was then known) was the Archbishop of Krakow. Flynn left their first meeting wishing he could talk to him longer. Eventually, of course, Wojtyla became John Paul II, and he made another trip to Boston, where Flynn renewed the acquaintance. At that point Flynn began to "keep track" of the pope, following his visits to the US and his papacy more generally (one of the most moving passages of the book is Flynn's description of the horror and anxiety he felt when the Pope was shot). While serving as mayor of Boston, Flynn was asked by President Clinton to serve as ambassador to the Vatican. After some hesitation Flynn accepted, in large part because he wanted to get to know John Paul. He did. As ambassador, he had the chance to discuss many important international issues (such as the Vatican's relationship with Israel and the troubles in Ireland) with the pope, and he came to know him as something of a family friend. The author provides an insider's portrait of John Paul, depicting him as both genuine believer and a shrewd politician. He describes the pope's devotion to the Virgin Mary, and his attempt to respond to the Shoah. Above all, he humanizes him, painting a portrait of a sometimes-melancholy pontiff, a man who was concerned when Flynn's son was hospitalized, a friend who seemedsadto see the ambassador leave in 1997. Critics will charge, rightly, that this account smacks of hagiography-but taken for what it is (i.e., a personal memoir of an enigmatic and powerful man), it is deeply satisfying.
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