Without roots
Subtitle: the West, relativism, Christianity, Islam
By: Joseph Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI, Marcello Pera ; foreword by George Weigel ; translated by Michael F. Moore.
Contributors: George Weigel (Foreword)
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2006
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 159
First sentence: At the beginning of his famous essay, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber raised the following question: "A product of modern European civilization, studying any problem of universal history, is bound to ask himself to what combination of circumstances the fact should be attributed that in Western civilization, and in Western civilization only, cultural phenomena have appeared which (as we like to think) lie in a line of development having universal significance and value."
Description: This is Ratzinger's first book as Pope. Written in conjunction with President of the Italian Senate, Marcello Pera--a partnering of the statesman and the holy man--the book is a reassessment of the European "West" and its struggle to define itself in the wake of war, terrorism, diplomatic and spiritual crisis. Pope Benedict reveals a thorough grasp of the contemporary global climate and the tentative and fractious bonds that tie Europe to the rest of the world. Though critical and cautionary, the new Pope ultimately offers an assertive message of hope to mend the West's fractured identity and reconnect with its spiritual roots.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-156) and index.