In the Mailbox: Questions and Answers of Pope Benedict XVI

What a great idea. Our Sunday Visitor asked Michael Dubruiel to edit together the answers that Pope Benedict has given to a variety of interesting questions during his pontificate (and Fr. Z helped with the translations).

From the publisher: "Discover the Pope's insightful, personable, and refreshingly accessible responses to the questions we all want to ask. Live audiences of children, clergy, young adults, and others gain unprecedented access to ask the Pope about everything from divorce and remarriage to the Mass, consumerism, relativism, sacraments, Scripture, music, sex, vocations, and more."

Since many questions in the book originate from children, youth and young priests, this strikes me as an excellent book to give, perhaps as a confirmation or late baptism present, or as an "entry into seminary" gift.

It also provides an easy general introduction to the pope's thought and his winning pastoral style.

I've had the chance to read many of the Holy Father's speeches shortly after he delivered them, and I look forward to revisiting these texts at leisure now that I won't have to hunt them down individually.