Pope to Finish New Book by Summer's End

Reports are that Pope Benedict XVI will have completed a new book by the end of this summer. Apparently the book "focuses on Jesus, the human race and Christianity's relationship with other faiths." Sounds good.

After the election of B16, I went to Amazon.com and ordered the then-Cardinal Ratzinger's book, Introduction to Christianity. I didn't know anything about the book, but the title was enough for me. I wanted it.

After tearing it out of the box, I started on it right away, but found it very difficult reading. I propose three reasons for this:

1. It's incredibly deep, discussing concepts beyond my level.
   
2. It was originally composed in German and was translated into English.
3. The author is a bad writer according to popular English writing standards.

I don't mean the third reason as an insult. I'm just used to clear, lean writing that's suited to the intelligent novice who likes his info straight to the point. B16's book was like an advanced college textbook. Actually, that is what it was written for -- for his students in seminary.

On the other hand, B16's encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est," was just right for me. It was profound and scholarly, yet practical and readable.

It would be nice if he would hire a smart, clear-writing American editor (how about Peter Kreeft?) to fix up his new book so us dummies can appreciate it, too.