A preeminent authority on the Catholic Church and papal biographer describes what he learned from chronicling the life of Pope John Paul IIIn Lessons in Hope, George Weigel tells the story of his unique friendship with St. John Paul II. As Weigel learns the pope "from inside," he also offers a firsthand account of the tumult of post-Vatican II Catholicism and the Cold War's endgame, introducing readers to the heroes who brought down European communism. Later, he shows us the aging pope grappling with the post-9/11 world order and teaching new lessons in dignity through his own suffering.A deeply humane portrait of an eminent scholar learning a saint, Lessons in Hope is essential reading for anyone seeking a fuller understanding of a world-changing pope.

George Weigel is one of the world's foremost authorities on the Catholic Church and the author of over a dozen books, including the international bestseller Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. He is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC, and a consultant on Vatican affairs for NBC News. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages.