John Paul II: The Path to Sainthood

By Michael Collins

Nobody could have imagined the effect the first non- Italian pope in almost five centuries would have on the world. For more than quarter of a century, John Paul crisscrossed the globe, preaching the Christian gospel and robustly challenging political systems and ethics. Seen live by more people than any human in history, Pope John Paul evoked exaggerated adulation and detached criticism. He sought to bolster up Christianity as it declined in the developed world, while encouraging the growth of the Catholic Church in Latin America and Africa. His determined rejection of atheistic Communism played an important part in the collapse of the Soviet empire. Having lived through the horror of World War II, Karol Wojtyla was a convincing opponent of dictatorships. Having survived two assassination attempts, He reached old age crippled with Parkinson's disease and arthritis. Yet at his death, questions remained about banking scandals, which involved the Holy See, and clerical sex abuse amongst other things. Beatified just six years after his death, Pope John Paul remains an enigmatic figure. This book traces the life and controversial legacy of the Polish pontiff.  John Paul II- The Path to Heaven, examines the journey which led to his beatification and the road which may yet see him proclaimed St. John Paul II.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Columba Press
• Release date: May 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782181897

Michael Collins

Michael Collins (1930-2021) was an astronaut, one of 24 who have flown to the moon. A West Point graduate, he was an Air Force jet-fighter pilot and a test-pilot before being recruited by NASA in 1963 as a member of the third astronaut group selected for the Apollo moon project. Lieutenant Colonel Collins flew in the Gemini 10 space mission, orbiting the earth forty-three times in 1966, and piloted the Apollo 11 module for the 1969 lunar mission which put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon’s surface. After NASA, Collins became director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, then under secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and vice president of the LTV Aerospace and Defense Company. He held the rank of major general when he retired from the Air Force Reserve. Collins recounted his experiences as an astronaut in the memoirs Carrying the Fire and Flying to the Moon.