Publisher's Synopsis
This doctoral thesis is an extended research essay involving a rhetorical taxonomy of selected Jubilee 2000 addresses and documents by Pope John Paul II. Those addresses include several commonly called "The Papal Apology." The specific documents examined are the homily of the holy father, "Day of Pardon"; his universal prayer, "Confessing of Sins and Asking for Forgiveness"; and the papal encyclical, "Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and the Faults of the Past." This work addresses many of these theological issues only as they pertain to the needs of the rhetorical analysis, and asserts that these documents are as much (if not more) rhetorical as theological, didactic, or political. Such a taxonomy is meant to enhance ecumenical dialogues, and possibly uncover the intentions of the Roman Curia and/or pope.
