Benediktov čas

"Only the one who is touched by love begins to guess what it actually means to live."

The initial public enthusiasm that accompanied Joseph Ratzinger's accession to the Chair of St Peter was replaced by resentment. The difficulties that did not make his office any easier, as well as the situation in the world and the challenges within the Church, finally led this Bavarian native to the realisation that it is time to withdraw from the front line and leave the leadership to someone younger.

The book Benediktov čas: Osem dramatických rokov jeho pontifikátu zblízka nostalgically maps eight years of Joseph Ratzinger's life. Thanks to the exhaustive knowledge of its author Paul Badde, it also makes it possible to understand Benedict's decision to renounce the administration of the Church, to which he was led not by weakness and fear, but by extraordinary wisdom and great love.

German historian and journalist Paul Badde, author of The Face of God (Das Göttliche Gesicht), Holy Land (Heiliges Land) or The Shroud of Turin (Das Grabtuch von Turin), captures the turning points of Benedict's ministry in his book in a more personal way than anyone else has managed so far. His book Benediktov čas: Osem dramatických rokov jeho pontifikátu zblízka is a collection of various reports, essays and articles mapping in detail the entire term of office of this great German pope. It guides readers in detail through turbulent events and forgotten episodes, letting them intimately get to know the personality of Benedict XVI and the behind-the-scenes of his work on the Chair of St Peter.