Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Holy Nerds Club (Sept) - Pope John Paul II: An intimate life
Heavily photographed and covered by the media during his reign, Pope John Paul II was a pop icon of my growing up years, yet he was a pope I knew little about. To me, he was a successor of Peter, one who was merely doing his job. After all, he was the only pope I knew all my life and there wasn't anyone else to benchmark against.
Of course, all that changed in late 2004, when his health declined rapidly and I, together with millions around the world, started noticing him a little more and realising the impact he had made, not just to the Church, but to mankind as a whole. (He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history who visited 129 countries during his pontificate, beautified 1,340 people and canonised 483 saints.)
When he eventually died, I remember how the world stood still to mourn the loss of this great man. I remember even taking half the day off work just to go home to watch the live telecast of his funeral.
Four years on, he continues to make an impression. Books with PJPII on the cover are plentiful on the shelves but for some uncanny reason, I picked up this particular one at Borders and after scanning the foreword, made up my mind that I had to read it.
Two main reasons fuelled my desire for this book. Firstly, the author, Caroline Pigozzi, is a journalist by profession. And being a writer myself, I was compelled to read about her firsthand experiences behind the inner walls of the Vatican while getting to know a personal side of the beloved Pope that few are privileged to see.
The second reason for my wanting to read this book is simply because my curiosity and interest in the governance of the Holy See had been stirred up after my trip to Rome in May, and conveniently, this book provides a brief overview of Vatican's protocol and operations.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the day in the life of PJPII, where Pigozzi observed how he would wake up at 5.30am each morning without an alarm clock - and earlier than most people in the Vatican - and how he would spend the precious moments alone in the chapel, fully prostrated before God in quiet adoration. As the Supreme Pontiff and Sovereign of Vatican City, his days would then be packed with state visits, audiences, and meetings with politicians, diplomats, writers, scientists, bishops and cardinals.
Once a year (and this was something I didn't know before), PJPII would take a much deserved break in the mountains, where he used to ski in his younger days, and be one with nature. He was quoted, "The mountains forge character with courageous asceticism and soothe the spirit by putting it in touch with nature."
I love reading about the people in his inner circle (they are Polish btw), how he travels around the world, and the things dear to his heart (Poland and Mother Mary). Aside from the successes and accomplishments, the book also talks about PJPII's sorrows, challenges and failing health - which at times, brought a tear to my eyes or made my hair stand on ends.
What's great about this book is that it offers an objective insight to the pope's life, one that's not fabricated by the Vatican PR department for 'brand building' purposes.
The only two things I'd gripe about is the fact that the content was rather disorganised and I felt that the chapters could have been categorised in a more sensible (or chronological) manner. Secondly, Pigozzi failed to elaborate much on the last days of his life, which was something I had been keen to read about.
As one of the most influential world leaders of the modern age, PJPII is a legend who had left a trail of life lessons and words of wisdom to follow. For Catholics and skeptics alike, Pope John Paul II: An intimate life is definitely worth a read.
