Pope publishes book of memoirs
The latest book written by John Paul II, entitled 'Rise, Let Us Be Going,' will be published in Italian on May 18th which is the Pope's 84th birthday. Mondadori Publishers said they expect the book will also be available in English, French, Spanish and German. The title is taken from Jesus' words in the Gospel according to Mark (14:42) and refers to the passage in which He speaks to Peter, James and John in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to being arrested. The book is 200 pages long and contains 40-50 short chapters. The Pope, who wrote part of the book by hand and dictated part of it, narrates the twenty years of his ministry as bishop, from his ordination in 1958 up to his election to the pontificate in 1978. "It is a collection of memories and reflections on the events of that period," said Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, during the conference. Navarro-Valls said that John Paul II wrote the book between March and August of 2003. A heavy work load for the Holy Father, leaving him little time to review it and make any revisions or additions, as well as demands of the editorial process, delayed its publication until this year. An earlier book by the Pope, published by Mondadori, 'Crossing the Threshold of Hope,' sold 20 million copies. Source: VIS