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Rating: 
Summary: On Target
Review: As a member of the loyal opposition, reading books on the pope has been a hobby of mine. On more than one occasion, I've been infuriated by some recent Vatican pronouncement, especially on moral issues. This collection of essays put the pope's theories in context. McDermott's historical piece showed how many of the moral conflicts in the church go back well before Vatican II. Apparently that gleaming, monolithic world of Pius XII wasn't as uniform as we thought. Madigan's piece showed why the church's counteroffensive against modernity, witness the new Catechism, will have a rough play in American society. After all the journalistic treatments of the pope, it's a relief to have real scholarship.I especially liked the pluralism of the book. So many studies of the pope insist that he is an angel or a demon. The different authors here clearly differ on whether this pope is succeeding or not. Some of them bask in the papal glow, but most of them raise critical questions about the papal arguments. I would not recommend this book as an introduction to the pope. Weigel's biography is a better pick for this. But if you're looking for a scholarly joust over John Paul II's moral positions, this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: A Black and White Cookie....
Review: I read this book in a last minute panic for my term paper on John Paul II. It was extremely helpful. Most of the authors got at the reasons behind the pope's positions on moral and political issues. They did a fine job showing how the Pope's view of Christ or of the law or the person influences his positions on abortion or on economics. My complaint though is that the book seems very tilted toward the right. These Jesuit authors don't seem very typical of the Jesuits I know in my college and in my parish. The authors don't seem open to any real changes in the church. Although the intro talks about theoilogical pluralism, I think that most of the authors probably find Ratzinger too liberal.
Rating:
Summary: Jesuits on the Pope
Review: It seems to me that John Paul II and the Jesuits have been fighting the past decades. It's refreshing to read a book where a group of Jesuits respectfully studies John Paul II's teachings. There is some criticism here, but always gentlemanly. A fine read for anyone concerned with the civil wars in the church.
Rating:
Summary: The Pope's Tough Love
Review: John Paul II has changed the face of the world. The rebirth of democracy in Eastern Europe, in Latin America, and in the Philippines is in large measure his work and the work of his church. The Jesuit writers of this book explain the moral vision behind the Pope's titanic political struggle---and they are clearly cheering him on!
Rating:
Summary: The Pope's Tough Love
Review: John Paul II has changed the face of the world. The rebirth of democracy in Eastern Europe, in Latin America, and in the Philippines is in large measure his work and the work of his church. The Jesuit writers of this book explain the moral vision behind the Pope's titanic political struggle---and they are clearly cheering him on!
Rating:
Summary: Neither black nor white
Review: Reactions to John Paul II are odd. Every word is either considered infallible (National Catholic Reporter) or very fallible (America) or just damnable (National Catholic Reporter). The value of this work is precisely that the twenty authors don't agree on the value of the pope's moral theories. Not many cheers or boos here: just a lot of careful attention to the grey spots, the ambiguities, the unfinished arguments that have both enchanted and baffled the world.
Rating:
Summary: Crack the Whip
Review: The moral teaching of the Pope can seem very strict. This book explains the theories of freedom and law behind the hard sayings. This is a good case for the beauty and the power of the Pope's teahing.
Rating:
Summary: Heart of the Matter
Review: There's a lot of uninformed controversy over the moral teaching of John Paul II. Finally, a group of Jesuits (who else?) have clearly explained the teaching of the pope. This is a very fine study of the Pope's teachings on controversial issues: family planning, economics, religion and politics. There is a wide range of opinions, but most authors clearly support the Pope.
Rating: 
Summary: Jesuitical
Review: This collection of essays does the Jesuits proud. I found them very useful to understand the issues behind the pope's teaching on a variety of moral issues. The collection is uneven, but the essays on fundamental moral theology very effectively showed the questions of law, conscience, and culture behind the pope's position on controverted questions.
Rating:
Summary: Jesuitical
Review: This collection of essays does the Jesuits proud. I found them very useful to understand the issues behind the pope's teaching on a variety of moral issues. The collection is uneven, but the essays on fundamental moral theology very effectively showed the questions of law, conscience, and culture behind the pope's position on controverted questions.
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