I bought this book for my son when we were talking a trip tothe Grand Canyon. When we got there, I was amazed to learn how much myson knew on how the canyon was formed. I strongly recomend this book!

THis work comes out of the "Braaten/Jenson Ecumenical Center" which has provided so many great books on Christian reunion. The center isn't called that, but those two untiring Christians have done so much that it should be named after them!

Now this book doesn't solve any problems per se, but it does put them into context and it avoids the unhelpful, silly, and unscholarly straw man arguments that the cheaper scholarship throws out as to why we should be Catholic or Protestant or Orthodox or "Protholidox"! WHile it is a great book for those interested in reunion, it is certainly a must-read for those who have read Ut Unum Sint, "that all may be one".

See my review of Brian Tierney's "Origins of Papal Infallibility" for a great selection of books that deal indepth with the subject of reunion between east and west as it relates to the papacy. Enjoy!

The research that went into the background of this story is amazing. I would read other novels by this author.

Pius XII was the Pope of the Catholic Youth Movement in Germany during the thirties, especially during the Third Reich when it had to go "underground." This fact may explain why the recent publications condemning the Pope are deeply disturbing to the surviving members of "Neues Deutschland," "Katholische Pfadfinder," "Kolping," and other groups of the movement which flourished before Hitler came to power.

By diligently collecting and analysing the newspaper articles, books, and Vatican documents of the time in question Margherita Marchione's "Consensus & Controversy" reestablishes the facts the generation of the Second World War knew by experience: Pius XII did his best to help the victims of the Nazi regime. He saved more of them than all other national leaders, including the Zionist activists of the time, together.

From personal experience I can corroborate two facts the author elaborates:
1.) As a student teacher in the industrial district of Germany in 1955 I rented a room from a Communist family. The husband had been a miner. When the couple found out that I was a Catholic, they started to run down Pius XII as "an enemy of the People" who had supported Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. When their attempt to "convert" me to their ideology failed, they found an excuse to end the rental agreement and I had to start again looking for living quarters in the bombed-out city of Essen.
2.) The very same year I visited Rome where I stayed as a guest of the Trappist monastery Tre Fontane on the outskirts of the city. In the center of one of the courtyards I noticed an obilisk with many obviously Jewish names carved into the pedestal and all the way to the top of the structure. The monk in charge of the guests explained to me that these people were the Jews who at the request of the Pope had found shelter in the monastary during the war. Most of them had later immigrated to the USA. They had sent the monument as a token of their appreciation . With a twinkle in his eye the monk added: "Would've been nice if they had also sent some money."

This "archeological" piece of evidence confirms the facts related in "Consensus & Controversy." The immediate experience of witnesses will add a basis of validity to the understanding of a period which should never be neglected by later historians. Sister Marchione quotes Golda Meir and many other Jews whose testimonies fulfill this requirement....P> that condemn Pius XII are deeply disturbing"

What a great, inspiring work of worship has been accomplished in this statement of faith by the ancient Christian church in impressive liturgical form. The original Coptic language is translated into harmony with both English and Arabic. The actions of the priest and the choir are described in both living languages. The musical notes and corresponding chant syllables are clearly printed. Music scholars, religious scholars, researchers in ancient languages will all find rich rewards in this volume. The "ordinary" person-in-the-pew who loves Biblical Scriptures will also find confirmation and awe in the deep worship that has survived since the first century. The reader of this work will find the introductory remarks instructive to his study and worship. And if the reader has Arabic as his primary language, he will be impressed to have this volume also readable from back-to-front and left-to-right, with the English and Coptic also accompanying.

Soy profesor de Nuevo Casas Grandes Chihuahua y quiero saber que precio darían si comprara cerca de 50 libros y que facilidades darían para el pago espero pronto su respuesta. Este es un libro que vale oro, pero que debe ser accesible a todos para adquirirlo

I love this book. It is written by one of the greatest men of the Twentieth Century, and one of its most beloved. The thing that is so pleasing about this book is that one can read each day as it comes along, and still read this like a great novel that really happens. it is as relevant today, actually more so, as it was in 1962. This has to be one of the most underappreciated books of the last half-century. I will admit, I am a Catholic, but Pope John meant for this book to read and profited from by all Christians-remember, he kept repeating, "Ut unum sint"-"That they may be one", as he neared his passing. this book may be the true key to Christian reunification. So whether you are Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist or Baptist, it would do you good to pick up this great tome. It will amke life easier...if you really listen.

They're back for a return engagement! The heroes of Convoy: Watts, Jemmy, the Croupier, the love interest Clare and the incomparable Ned Yorke. After discovering how German submarines got inside allied convoys in 1942, they are back to capture the German's new 4-rotor Enigma machine. The result, in my opinion, is better than the original. Pope has balanced the characters from the original to give the reader more of the chemistry that worked in the original. Clare is relegated in the back burner. Jemmy and the Croupier are moved up front and centre. Surprisingly, Jemmy's girl friend, Joan, receives more print than the original. The adjustment is an improvement on Convoy and set the stage for subsequent Yorke novels which, regrettably, Pope was not able to write.

Decoy's premise is based on an actual historical crisis. The Allies had the German 3-rotor Enigma and had been able to decipher German codes. Allied convoys could be routed past the German U-boat "wolfpacks" and supplies desperately needed in Britain and elsewhere could get through. The Germans did introduce a 4-rotor Enigma in 1942 that resulted in the wolfpacks operating with a free hand for a month or so. In Decoy, it is Yorke and the rest of the ASIU group who must acquire an Enigma without the Germans knowing about it. Their plan is assemble a team of crack commandos, be dropped off in the middle of the Atlantic in winter, and hope that a U-boat will pull alongside for them to capture. The plan is executed brilliantly only to find that the Enigma machine is broken and won't transmit. How do they get back to Britain without being sunk by Allied aircraft or ships? One possibility that Pope didn't discuss was sending the bodies of a couple of dead Germans out the torpedo tubes with notes on them. However, they don't talk about that and I won't spoil the ending except to say that readers will be happy with it unless they are fans of dictators with Charlie Chaplin moustaches.

Decoy works fairly well as an action novel but I found the passage that discussed the emotions felt by survivors in a lifeboat quite moving and illustrative. Pope was writing from experience. Apparently Pope was torpedo himself and suffered from back pain that led to memory loss. This memory loss forced him to stop writing in 1989, 8 years before his death. His residual resentment towards the Germans is understandable although I am surprised that Pope portrays the massacre of lifeboat survivors by U-boat commanders as common place. There only seems to be one documented case of this type of atrocity in the thousands of sinkings that occurred during the Battle of the Atlantic. Back in the early 80s, did Pope still believe such atrocities occurred or was it included for artistic license?

Pope displays even greater contempt for the government and bureaucracies of Britain. Deficiencies in British lifejackets and weapons are detailed. The over reliance on Asdic is pilloried. He even mentions that the Royal Canadian Navy's coat was thicker than the RN's. As a veteran, Pope rightly expresses the anger of men who were sent to fight with less than the best the government had or should have had to offer. Surprisingly, he writes favourably of the sten gun which has received less favourable reviews elsewhere.

One concept that Pope appears to support is the British class system and inherited wealth. He seems to have been in tune with Thatcheresque Britain. He defends inherited wealth by explaining the concept of security for one's children. The question of how much security is enough is never raised. Nor is the point that one's earnings, possessions and property should be one's to do with as one so chooses.

Decoy isn't perfect. While I found the banter between Yorke, Jemmy and the Croupier funny at times, sometimes it got in the way of the narrative. Also, some of it seemed to be "insider" jokes. However, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise entertaining novel. The plot resolution made more sense to me than the resolution in Convoy and Decoy is a better tribute to the men. I wonder how many more Yorke novels Pope would have written had he been able to continue writing. It is a shame that there weren't more wrapping up both his series with Yorke and a Ramage descendent but we should be thankful for what we do have.

I'm a student of the Great War, not a scholar. The text is terse yet totally complete. The style is never intimidating and the content stays pertinent to the subject being defined. If an expanded definition is required, just look up one of the CAPITALIZED words in the text, and you will find that word listed as well. Thank you.

If you are intersted in the development and detailed chronological history of the Swiss Vatican Guard, this is THE book. Written in 4 languages in an easy to follow style,the beginings of Swiss protection to the Holy See are described from their origins in 1507 thru recent times. Many of the photographs detail the uniforms and parade formations still practiced by the Swiss Guard. A strikingly heroic photograph of the late Alois Estermann is shown,as well as his Commandant Buchs. While not the final word on the Swiss Vatican Guard, this book will help to describe a fairly broad understanding of their purpose and history.