Paul VI: The First Modern Pope

A thoughtful, highly acclaimed biography of Giovanni Battista Montini, Paul VI, which sheds light on and powerfully underscores the personal and ecclesial sides of a man who brought modernity to the church.

Paul VI, the author argues, had a more nuanced view of ethics than was suggested by the "Pope Bans Pill" headlines that summarized his 1968 encyclical letter on birth control, Humanae Vitae. Though Hebblethwaite explores the background of Giovanni Battista Montini, born in 1897 in Brescia, Italy, the book is mainly an institutional history of the church and Montini's role in it, based on accounts from sources from several countries. and Africa; he committed the Church to working with the United Nations and was the first pope to take part in an ecumenical service. As pope, Paul VI traveled the world, becoming the first pope to visit the U.S. From Publishers Weekly In this scrupulous, densely detailed biography, veteran Vatican reporter Hebblethwaite ( John XXIII ) convincingly portrays Paul VI, pontiff from 1963 to 1978, as thoughtfully and judiciously engaged with the political, social and

enjoyable and informative read Although I am only 1/3 through at this time, I am finding this book to be a very enjoyable and informative read. I've often wondered about what was behind the intellectual look of this bespectacled man of God, and Hebblethwaite's book is giving me an encouraging and inspiring look into his experience, values, and personality. I've only just reached the 1950s, so am looking forward to the remainder of the journey.. patrick clarke said A Modernist Pope!. The book is an interesting topic for me and was at a price I could easily afford. Looking forward to a good read and to getting more knowledge about the man from someone who was close enough to him to provide some answers as to what drove him to initiate the destruction of the Church.. Die Falknerin said Author intrusion takes gravitas from the magisterial legacy of an important pontiff. Any biography reveals the biases and personality of the author, and this one is no exception.Others have written excellent, well-informed reviews of this book. It is indeed a magisterial work, and an important one, from a man whom many continue to call "il vaticano straordinario."What I have a problem with is the "author intrusion" which taints the gravitas of the work throughout. I very much dislike the style of writing as well.Having enjoyed the privilege of reading the Italian correspondence of the young Montini and his friend, future Resistance hero, Andrea Trebeschi, I was appalled at the way Hebblethwaite "read in" what he wanted to s