(Vatican Radio) Last Testament: in his own words is the final book-length interview of Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI. Conducted by veteran journalist Peter Seewald, the volume comes as close as anyone has a right to expect to an autobiography from the man who has remained “hidden from the world” in a renovated convent in the Vatican gardens since resigning the See of Peter in 2013.Bloomsbury Publishing has brought out an English edition of the work, which was written in German, based on the conversations between the two native German-speakers.Both accurate and engaging, the translation captures the depth, poetry and surprising playfulness of the Pope-emeritus. Dr. Jacob Phillips of St. Mary’s University Twickenham, London, and the Benedict XVI Centre for the Study of Religion and Society at St. Mary’s, translated the work for Bloombury. Phillips spoke with Vatican Radio about the project.“I do genuinely think this is a book for everyone,” he s...
(Vatican Radio) Last Testament: in his own words is the final book-length interview of Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI. Conducted by veteran journalist Peter Seewald, the volume comes as close as anyone has a right to expect to an autobiography from the man who has remained “hidden from the world” in a renovated convent in the Vatican gardens since resigning the See of Peter in 2013.
Bloomsbury Publishing has brought out an English edition of the work, which was written in German, based on the conversations between the two native German-speakers.
Both accurate and engaging, the translation captures the depth, poetry and surprising playfulness of the Pope-emeritus.
“I do genuinely think this is a book for everyone,” he said.
“Certainly, I would imagine Benedict XVI wanted to explain the story of [his] resignation, when there’s all kinds of crazy interpretations of it flying around,” he said, “which seem to be completely inaccurate.” Phillips went on to say the story of the man is so powerful, and his telling of it so captivating, as to recommend it to anyone with an interest in the humanity of one of the great figures of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. “This book is for anybody who is interested in a drama of history and a human life,” he added.
Click below to hear the extended conversation between Chris Altieri (an external affiliate of the BXVI Centre at St. Mary’s) and Dr. Jacob Phillips, translator of Last Testament: in his own words
Phillips was speaking with Vatican Radio’s Chris Altieri (an external affiliate of the BXVI Centre at St. Mary’s) on the sidelines of a day-long international conference exploring and celebrating theological legacy of the Pope-emeritus on Tuesday, November 8th, ahead of the official launch of Last Testament in the evening of that same day at St. Mary’s.
Facade of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons / EEJCCACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).One year after the Spanish newspaper El País published the report "Diary of a Pedophile Priest," which recounted the sexual abuse of minors committed in Bolivia by the deceased Jesuit priest Alfonso Pedrajas, journalists from ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, went to the South American country to look into the political implications of the case, how the scandal has affected the Church's image in Bolivia, and the response of the civil justice system.Pedrajas, better known as "Padre Pica," arrived in South America in the early 1960s as part of his formation process with the Jesuits. For 10 years he lived in Peru and Ecuador, where he allegedly committed his first abuses while still a seminarian, and in 1971 he settled permanently in Bolivia.There the Society of Jesus appointed him assistant principal of the John XXIII Insti...
The members of the general board of directors of the Regnum Christi Federation, before its first general convention from April 29 to May 4, 2024, in Rome. / Credit: Regnum ChristiACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).The Regnum Christi Federation will hold its first general convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, the first such assembly since its statutes were approved in 2019 after a long process of listening, purification, and a hopeful look toward its future.The ecclesial movement was shaken to the core by the revelation of numerous cases of sexual abuse and abuses of power primarily involving Father Marcial Maciel, the deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement.The Regnum Christi Federation is comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ (priests), Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members.Regnum Christi is now defined as an apostolic body and spiritual family led by ...
Gia Chacón (right), founder of March for the Martyrs, said the plight of the tens of thousands of Christian Armenians pushed out of their homes in the disputed Artsakh or Nagorno-Karabakh region hash been "completely overlooked by the mainstream media." / Credit: EWTN News Nightly / ScreenshotCNA Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:20 am (CNA).Marchers are setting out in the nation's capital on Saturday to call attention to the plight of persecuted Christians throughout the world.Gia Chacón, founder of For the Martyrs and the March for the Martyrs, said the event aims to highlight often "overlooked" victims of persecution. This year's march will focus on the persecution suffered by Armenian Christians as well as those in Nigeria and Iran.In an interview with "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Tracy Sabol, Chacón said she started the initiative to both increase awareness and provide aid for persecuted Christian communities throughout the world.Chacón explained that the decades-long conflict ...