A Life with Karol - Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz worked side by side with Pope John Paul II for almost forty years, enjoying unique access to both the public and private man. In A life with Karol, he provides a close-up glimpse into the Pope’s life and the critical events of his papacy.

Dziwisz was sitting next to the Pope during the assassination attempt in 1981. He recounts the Pope's reaction to 9/11, describing his thoughts and feelings on that day. And the Cardinal’s moving description of the Pope’s haunting memories of World War II uncovers the roots of the pontiff’s intense opposition to George W. Bush’s war on Iraq.
The two men shared moments of fun and spontaneity as well. Dziwisz writes about the times the Pope would slip out of the Vatican, wearing a Panama hat, to stroll the streets of Rome, and he describes the clandestine ski and hiking trips the pair made to escape the Vatican. His firsthand account of the Pope’s last years also reveals that John Paul II considered resigning. These stories and others lend added poignancy to Dziwisz’s extraordinary portrayal of the Pope’s courage and calmness during his final illness.

Part One: The Polish years -- The first meeting -- New men -- Turning point: Vatican II -- The Millennium crisis -- Wyszynski and Wojtyla -- The Cross of Nowa Huta -- "How could I fail to speak out?" -- Dissent Explodes -- Rebel youth -- "A Slav will be Pope" -- Part Two:   The Papal years -- "Open the doors to Christ" -- A journey to anticlerical Mexico -- A typical day in the life of a Pope -- A sign of change -- Peter the Traveler -- Rome's own bishop --  earthquake in the Empire -- A revolution of the people -- Two pistol shots -- But who armed the killer? -- A whole nation behind bars -- Solidarity lives! -- A new evangelization -- Youth, women, and the Ecclesial Movements -- "God's sister" Teresa -- And the wall came tumbling down -- No to Communism, not yes to Capitalism -- The global south -- A new adversary -- The spirit of Assisi -- The new martyrs -- It took six hands -- John Paul II's Jewish roots -- Thou shalt not kill in the name of God -- "Let me go home to the Lord".