Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millenium

Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI always did have a talent for explaining things clearly and concisely--he must have been an awesome teacher.  The interview in this book is no exception.  In it, he talks about his upbringing, his thoughts on salvation, on various ideas and ways of thinking widespread in the modern world, on the declining influence of the Church in Europe, with a special section on Germany, and on what it needs to do to continue carrying out its mission.  While maintaining a conversational tone, a lot of ideas are crammed in there and it covers plenty of ground for its size.  A re-read is definitely in the cards for this one.

Europe: Today and Tomorrow, by Pope Benedict XVI

In this book, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) analyzes the source of the malaise that has affected the West through most of the 20th century: the currents of thought that brought it about, why it persists, and how it can be cured.  Very worthwhile read and gives a lot of food for thought. Given its short length, it took much longer than I thought to finish it because I often had to stop and think about what I had just read and how it related to popular ways of thinking and acting.