John Thavis: 'Power, Personalities and Politics at the Vatican'

Winsdor, Ontario: Assumption University's Christian Culture Lecture Series has promoted "culture" as a universal, holistic, and integrated way of being of the human person since its founding in 1934.

John Thavis is the 2013 recipient of The Christian Culture Award Gold Medal, which is bestowed annually on an "outstanding exponent of Christian ideals. John is a journalist, author and speaker specializing in Vatican and religious affairs. For more than twenty-five years he worked as head of the Rome Bureau of Catholic News Service. His daily exposure to the power, politics, and personalities in the center of Roman Catholicism gave him a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on an institution that is far less monolithic and unified than it first appears. In this lecture, Thavis examines the reign of Pope Benedict, the momentous transition that just took place in the papacy, and the history of one of the world's oldest and most mysterious institutions.

John is author of the recent New York Times best seller, "The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church."