During a press conference in the Holy See Press Office this morning, Cardinal Renato Martino of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, presented the book "Pope John Paul II and the Challenges of Papal Diplomacy," and called Pope John Paul II’s pontificate “one of the greatest blessings that the Church and the world have received in history."

The cardinal remarked upon "the harmonious composition of an extraordinary Magisterium that, over 26 years, has touched all aspects of the realities of our times, setting forth a vigorous series of variations on the unifying theme of the defense of human dignity and its basic rights.”

In reading the pages” of the book, “and between the lines,” he said, “what emerges is the greatness, not only of a very lofty Magisterium, but of a courageous and solid faith, a hope that hopes against hope, a love for truth, for peace and for man which makes John Paul II's pontificate one of the greatest blessings that the Church and the world have received in history."