In new book, pope reflects on good and evil

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- The Vatican presented Pope John Paul II's latest book at the world's largest literary fair, seeking international distribution for the pontiff's 200-page reflection on good and evil in recent history.
"Memory and Identity: Conversations Between Millenniums," a transcript of philosophical conversations with two close friends, is due out in Italy in 2005, but no publishers have yet been found for other countries.
"That is what we hope to do, find publishers," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said as the Frankfurt Book Fair opened to the public this week.
Conversations
The Polish-born pope's book is essentially a transcript of conversations he had in Polish with two close friends in 1993 at his summer residence near Rome: Krzysztof Michalski, a political philosopher at the Institute of Human Science in Vienna, Austria; and the late Rev. Jozef Tishner.
The book's question-and-answer format takes a look at Europe over the last 100 years, seeking to identify the "roots of evil," such as the rise of communism, fascism and Nazism, and tackling major issues such as the relationship between church and state, Navarro-Valls said at a news conference.
"It is not a pessimistic book at all. ... It is a long dialogue trying to understand the root of the problems humanity has been facing," he said.
In excerpts distributed at the book fair, the 84-year-old pontiff makes references to ancient philosophers and theological figures to answer questions about good and evil.
"I don't feel able to say that this will be his last book. He loves to put into writing ideas that can help people," Navarro-Valls said.
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