A Pilgrim Pope: Messages for the World

Pope John Paul II is the most widely traveled Pope, who redefined the role of Papacy through his pilgrimages far and wide. Within a few years of his election to the Papacy, his apostolic zeal took him to every continent with the Christian message of joy and hope. This book, "A Pilgrim Pope", is a collection of the Pope's messages given out to peoples of various cultures during the course of his travels beginning in Poland in 1979, up to Romania in 1999. Cardinal Achille Silvestrini who was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, has edited this collection, giving a valuable introduction to each message from the point of view of the context and the relevance of the message. But the message itself is in the form of excerpts from the Pope's speeches. Cardinal Pio Laghi has written a forward to this collection. This book, as a whole captures the man and mission of this pilgrim Pope.