Roman Catholicism stands at a crossroads, a classic ''best of times, worst of times'' moment. On the one hand, the Catholic Church remains by far the largest branch of the worldwide Christian family, and is growing at a remarkable clip. Yet the Church has also been rocked by a series of scandals related to the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, and, even more devastating, the cover-up by the Church hierarchy. The decade-long crisis has taken a massive financial toll, but the blow to both the internal morale and the external moral standing of the Church has been even steeper. Today, the Church has enormous residual strength and exciting future prospects, but also faces steep internal and external challenges. The question of ''whither Catholicism'' is of vital public relevance, for believers and non-believers alike. In The Catholic Church: What Everyone Needs to Know®, John L. Allen, Jr., one of the world's leading authorities on the Vatican, offers an authoritative and accessible guide to the past, present, and future of the ChurchWhat Everyone Needs to Know® is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.

Product Description: If you had a private audience with the pope, what would he tell you?

Product Description: "Muchas personas católicas y no católicas no conocen quién es Benedicto XVI. Los medios de comunicación nos han ofrecido flashazos de su personalidad, pero en ocasiones desde puntos de vista no muy objetivos. Este librito Diez cosas que el Papa Benedicto quiere que sepas, te muestra de una manera muy sencilla sus prioridades como Pastor universal y algunas notas de su personalidad, para que te vayas adentrando en el conocimiento de uno de los líderes mundiales más importantes de nuestra generación...read more

A seasoned Vatican watcher and correspondent for both CNN and the National Catholic Reporter reveals what he believes are the reasons why the 78-year-old, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who held a very special relationship with John Paul II, was elected as the 265th official pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and who now must fulfill one of the most powerful roles on earth.