John Thavis
John
Thavis recently retired as the prizewinning Rome bureau chief of Catholic News
Service, a position he had held since 1983. In 2007 the Catholic Press
Association awarded him the St. Francis de Sales Award, the highest honor given
by the Catholic press. He lives in Minnesota.
All Books By John Thavis
The Vatican Diaries
- By: John Thavis
- Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 12 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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3.68(1296 ratings)
A revealing inside look at one of the world’s most powerful and mysterious institutions
For more than twenty-five years John Thavis held one of the most fascinating journalistic jobs in the world: reporting on the inner workings of the Vatican. His daily exposure to the power, politics, and personalities in the seat of Roman Catholicism gave him a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on an institution that is far less monolithic and unified than it first appears. Thavis reveals Vatican City as a place where Curia cardinals fight private wars, scandals threaten to undermine papal authority, and reverence for the past is continually upended by the practical considerations of modern life.
Thavis takes listeners from a bell tower high above St. Peter’s to the depths of the basilica and the saint’s burial place, from the politicking surrounding the election of a new pope and the ever-growing sexual abuse scandals around the world to controversies about the Vatican’s stand on contraception and more.
Perceptive, sharply written, and witty, The Vatican Diaries will appeal not only to Catholics–lapsed as well as devout–but to anyone interested in international diplomacy and the role of religion in an increasingly secularized world.
... Read moreThe Vatican Prophecies
- By: John Thavis
- Narrator: Michael Kramer
- Length: 10 hours 34 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.93(195 ratings)
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Vatican Diaries comes a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how the Vatican investigates claims of miraculous events.
Apocalyptic prophecies and miraculous apparitions are headline-grabbing events that often put the Catholic Church’s concept of “rational faith” at odds with the passion of its more zealous followers. To some, these claims teeter on the edge of absurdity. Others see them as evidence of a private connection with God. For the Vatican, the issue is much more nuanced, as each supposed miraculous event could have serious theological and political consequences. In response, the Vatican has developed a highly secretive and complex evaluation system to judge the authenticity of supernatural phenomena.
Former journalist John Thavis uses his thirty years’ experience covering the Vatican to shed light on this little-known process, revealing deep internal debates on the power of religious relics, private revelations, exorcisms, and more. Enlightening and accessible to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, the book illustrates the church’s struggle to balance the tension between traditional beliefs and contemporary skepticism.
... Read more