Paul VI

"Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Montini, ranks among the most influential figures in the modern history of the Roman Catholic Church. When he was elected pope in 1963, he faced the awesome responsibility of guiding the Church through the conclusion of the historic Second Vatican Council. With the Council behind him, an overarching challenge remained: shepherding the Catholic communion during the turbulent aftermath of Vatican II - the aftershocks of which are being felt throughout the Church to this very day." "Peter Hebblethwaite succinctly characterizes the pontificate of Paul VI: "He managed to complete the Council without dividing the Church. He reformed the Roman Curia without alienating it. He introduced collegiality without ever letting it undermine his papal office. He practised ecumenism without impairing Catholic identity. He had an Ostpolitik that involved neither surrender nor bouncing aggressivity. He was 'open to the world' without ever being its dupe. He pulled off the most difficult trick of all: combining openness with fidelity."" "Yet, the life of Paul VI encompassed more than the fifteen years of his papacy. His biographer devotes nearly as many chapters to the