Long-time friend and student of Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II, Grygiel brings an additional perspective to the life and thought of the Pope, describes a man who was always in communion with others and worked to build a civilization of love. The author relates conversations that were, for the most part, spontaneous and without concrete goals. In their walks and talks on Polands mountain paths, as people hermetically sealed from Western influence, they would encounter what the Pope referred to as the sad gentlemen--agents of the secret police, whom he pitied. In the context of totalitarianism, Karol Wojtyla described the communion of persons as a place where the truth makes one free. He defended conscience and the vision of human persons as works of art, evoking Dostoevskys observation that beauty will save the world. His vision extended to the nation and its politics, which he perceived as having a spiritual dimension. There are five chapters: Vir fortis; Via Pulchritudinis--via crucis; the new evangelization; marriage and the family; nation and state. Annotation 2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
