For more than 2 decades, Joaquín Navarro-Valls served as the spokesperson for the Vatican. 6 years after his death, a book recounts his personal stories with Pope John Paul II—from his time in the mountains with the Pope to his final briefing with journalists on the Pope's declining health in 2005.
JOAQUÍN NAVARRO-VALLS
Vatican Spokesperson (1984-2006)
The pope is lucid, extremely serene, although obviously he is having difficulty breathing. I have never seen him like this. Obviously respiratory difficulty. If there are other developments, we will inform you.
The book entitled, My Years with John Paul II, reveals little-known aspects of the life and pontificate of John Paul II. For example, Navarro-Valls reflects on the question the Polish Pope faced after learning he had Parkinson's disease.
FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI
President, Joseph Ratzinger Foundation
He asked himself the question about resigning personally. He reflected on it seriously. He prayed about it for many years. So for me there were two new aspects I learned about him from these memoirs: that of Parkinson's and that of his reflection on resigning. In my opinion, he did very well not to resign.
Navarro-Valls' book also describes how uniquely Pope John Paul II used his pontificate to reach people and why he was often called the “People's Pope.”
FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI
President, Joseph Ratzinger Foundation
What fascinated and touched me most about this book is this revelation of the human dimension of John Paul II.
There is no other Pope who has so systematically used the idea of lunches and dinners with guests to deal with so many different kinds of problems.
All of the stories come directly from Navarro-Valls' personal notes. Only the introduction and conclusion were added after his death. One thing kept him from publishing the book after retiring as the Vatican spokesperson in 2006.
PR. DIEGO CONTRERAS
Editor, My Years with John Paul II
Basically because he did not want to publish it in his lifetime. And another reason was he wondered who would want to read it. He was, however, convinced of having a book on the Pope. He wrote it for that, to offer a somewhat behind-the-scenes view of John Paul II.
My Years with John Paul II has been published in both Spanish and Italian and offers an inside look into the personal relationship between the Polish pope and his spokesperson.
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