Widely regarded as his spiritual last testament, Roman Triptych: Meditations contains three new poems by Pope John Paul II, the first ones written and published during his pontificate. In the first poem, "The Stream," the pope revels in the wonder and beauty of the natural world. He urges us to trace a mountain stream-the mystery of life-back to its ineffable and divine source. In the second poem, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel becomes a background setting for the pope's personal reflections upon his own mortality-and the extraordinary conclave of cardinals that must gather after his death in order to select a new pontiff for the 21st century. Finally, in the third poem, he takes us up the terrifying slopes of Mount Moriah, where Abraham was called to bind and sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. The poem becomes a profound reflection on sacrifice-and the incomparable love of God for humanity. This edition also includes the insightful Presentation of the pope's book by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.