As the leader of the Catholic Church, the oldest continuing institution in the Western world, Pope John Paul II has shown himself to be a giant in every sphere he touches -- the personal, theological, political and ecumenical. In an age fairly rich with heroes, Pope John Paul II is truly the great man of the past century -- a man who personally confronted all that century's tragedies, from Nazism to Communism. And now, in old age, he wrestles with materialism, "the culture of death, " and new scandals that could, on his leaving, tear the church in two.This pope is also a paradoxical figure -- an intellectual animated by confidence and joy, a poet and playwright, a supporter of freedom who decries its abuse, a tough political gamesman, and a mystic convinced that the bullet that nearly killed him was directed away from his heart by the hand of the Mother of God. Here, bestselling author Peggy Noonan brings her sharp observations, acute sensibility, warmth, and wit to the life of this pope, and shows the personal impact his journey has had upon her and millions of others throughout the world. Written with heart and depth, this book is a heartening celebration of a man whose life teaches us perhaps the greatest lesson of all: how to live.