I was so happy to receive these two little books for review from Franciscan Media. True to their titles, they are great, short biographies of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII.

With under 50 pages, each 6″x5″ book offers a nice review of each Pope’s life, showing how the events of their lives shaped their values and priorities and how their leadership and teachings as Pope have shaped our Catholic Church and Faith.

Good pope, Bad Pope their lives, Our Lessons by Mike Aquilina

This is a neat little book showing the wisdom of the Church and the ultimate guidance of Christ, showing how He ‘kept his promise to his bride, the Church- not only in her health but also in her  sickness.  The great popes advanced our understanding of Christian doctrine. But even  more remarkable, the worst popes could do nothing to damage the teaching of the Church. That’s why, even inits darkest moments, the story of the papacy is the story of triumph.”