Francis: Pope of a New World

by Andrea Tornielli

Francis, rebuild my Church! That is how St. Francis of Assisi heard the call of Christ. It is also how Jorge Mario Bergoglio, at the age of 76, and a Jesuit, seems to have accepted his election to the papacy with the choice of a name that no other pope has ever chosen.Who is Pope Francis, elected in one of the shortest conclaves in history? Who is the man chosen to be the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope?

How does he see the world and his ministry? How does he understand his call to serve Christ, his Church, and the world? In short, what is the mind and heart of this new pope of a new world--of the Americas and the rest of the world of the 21st Century?

In the words, the ideas, and the personal recollections of Pope Francis--including material up to the final hours before his election--the most highly regarded Vatican observer on the international scene reveals the personality of this man of God, gentle and humble. The son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, he made radically following Christ and the way of non-violence the pillars of his pastoral ministry in a country, continually tormented by social and economic inequities.

This complete biography offers the keys to understanding the man who was a surprise choice, even a kind of revolutionary choice, for pope. It is the story of the humble pastor of one of the world's largest archdioceses; a cardinal who takes the bus, talks with common folk, and lives simply. It is the story of why the cardinal electors of the Catholic Church set aside political and diplomatic calculations to elect a pope to lead the renewal and purification of the worldwide Church of our time.

Genres: Biography, Religion, Catholic, Nonfiction

200 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2013

Reviews

[Thomas Andrikus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admire Pope Francis.

"The Lord never tires of forgiving: never! It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness. Let us ask for the grace not to tire of asking forgiveness, because he never tires of forgiving" - p.145-6

His frugality and his focus on the Christian message of mercy (even towards the previously disenfranchised groups such as homosexuals) has brought the different religious groups (even non-Catholics) closer into the embrace of one humanity.

I also love the fact that he speaks out against "communism and unbridled capitalism":

"Christianity condemns with the same vehemence both communism and unbridled capitalism. A Clear example is what happens with money that is deposited abroad. Money has a homeland, and someone who takes the wealth that is produced in one country so as to bring it somewhere else commits a sin, inasmuch as he does not honor the country that produces that wealth and the people who work to generate it." - p.161

[Michael Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book with some interesting and edifying tidbits about Papa Francisco's past and persona. At the same time, there are plenty of needless repetitions, questionable translations (presumably this was written in Italian; perhaps the original was also choppy), and even some straight out typos. You can tell Iggy Press was trying to cash in, and hey, they got me. Certainly a nice read but hopefully it's just a hold over til a true biography comes out.

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Life 'Transfixed' by God's Look of Love" is the title of the last chapter of the book inspired by a creed Jorge Bergoglio wrote shortly before he was ordained a priest. "Love" (along with humility) certainly characterizes the pope's first months in the Chair of Peter. The themes of love and humility run throughout the book as well. The author is a long time Vatican correspondent who is clearly a fan of the new pope. He starts the book in the conclave and quickly comes to the election and presentation of the new pope. Chapter Two is dedicated to Benedict and papal resignations. The next chapter provides an insider look into events leading up to the conclave, the conclave itself, and the immediate aftermath. The bulk of the remainder of the volume is a look at the life of Francis up until his election. Details regarding particular struggles due to the political situation of Argentina throughout his ordained life dominate the story and give us a look at how the man has dealt with challenges in the past. Then come Francis's words and actions in the immediate aftermath of his election followed by what his past and present approaches may indicate about his rule and some opinions (hopes?) from the author on what he would like to see. A short interview the author had with Card. Bergoglio in early 2012 is transcribed as well. The book closes with the marvelous personal creed mentioned above.

A significant part of the text on Bergoglio's life pre-papacy is excerpts from the 2010 interview book, "El Jesuita," of which I was happy to have an early translation (the entire book is out in English with the title "Pope Francis: His Life in His Own Words" by Ambrogetti and Rubin). In fact, throughout the book, the author provides substantial excerpts from books, magazine and newspaper articles, homilies, and so on. This book likely contains the first English translations of many of these.

I very much appreciated this work. The author's journalistic style gives the book a personal flavor in which one really feels like he gets to know the new pontiff. Highly recommended as a way to get to know Pope Francis in much more than a cursory way.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pope Francis is humble and filled with messages of such great importance like "'And Jesus has this message for us: mercy. I think--and I say it with humility--that this is the Lord's most powerful message: mercy'"(144) and "'The Lord never tires of forgiving: never! It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness'"(146) and my personal favorite "'Mercy. . . changes the world, . . . makes [it] less cold and more just'"(148). Many gems of the pope's wisdom line this book along with a replaying of the time Pope Benedict resigned and Cardinal Bergoglio was chosen to lead the flock of the Catholic church. God bless Pope Francis and the whole world!

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introductory book on getting to know the life and thought of Pope Francis. Written by someone familiar with him, this book offers insights that project a trajectory as to the kind of papacy that Pope Francis will follow. Easy to read and yet noble in its aim, a must read for the serious Catholic who wants to know more intimately the current pope who's making headlines by making people see Catholicism from a different, and fresh, perspective.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it may be a translation from Italian. It's just not that well written. The content was okay, but it was mostly just a bunch of quotes taken, primarily, from a "book-length interview" done a couple of years ago. If I had known this before I purchased the book, I probably would have looked for that interview instead.

[Bob Bellamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the many books to come out early in Francis' papacy, this book was fine for an initial attempt. There were a number of grammatical/translational issues and much of the book was culled from other sources. This is not unexpected for a book that came out so soon after Francis was elected, but I wouldn't let this be your only source for information about the new pope.

[Gabriela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good insights into Pope Francis personality and youth but seems to have been written in a rush, not a lot of analysis. Still worth the read though

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was hoping this book would have portrayed more of Pope's life as he was growing up. This book was okay.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pope Francis is pretty awesome. I'm not catholic, but I find him and the papacy fascinating. He's such a forward-thinking pope and is what the world needs now. Much how I say Notorious RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg) needs to live forever, so does Pope Francis.

[Sam Urfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks

[Tirzah Eleora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written very soon after the election of Pope Francis so at least the first third deals with the process of his election and doesn't say a whole lot about the man himself. A lot of time is spent explaining the papal election process, which could be a fascinating topic but is more tedious here because the author seems to assume that the audience has a rudimentary knowledge of how things go down at the Vatican conclave. There were quite a few customs and Latin terms that were not explained.
The second third of the book gets into some of the objections that were raised against Francis after his election due to accusations that came to surface at the last papal election. Again, I found it confusing.
The last third of the book finally got more into the man himself and talked about his personal convictions and actions more.
Overall, not a bad book at all. I give the low rating mostly because I didn't enjoy reading it all that much. The book is translated from Italian and the translation is pretty clumsy. Also, the book gives many details on the resignation of Benedict XVI and while that's all very interesting, I feel the author should have saved information not relevant to the election of Francis (some was, some wasn't) for another book. All that said, pretty much the only thing I knew about Francis before reading this book was that he's from Argentina and I do feel like I got to know him better through this book.

[Bärbel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paavst Franciscuse kohta teadsin enne lugemist võrdlemisi vähe. No siiski rohkem kui tema eelkäija kohta, ent siiski...vaid seda, et pärit on ta Argentinast ja et tegemist on lausa esimese Ameerikast pärit paavstiga, lisaks veel infokilde, mida erinevatel aegadel uudistest kõrva olid jäänud.
Meeldiv lugemine. Minu arvamus härra paavstist suures plaanis ei muutnud, sest ta oligi juba varasemalt positiivse mulje jätnud. Raamat tõi esile katkendeid erinevatest intervjuudest ja muudest avaldatud materjalidest, nii paavsti enda sõnavõtte kui teiste kogemusi temaga. Ma saan aru, et ega raamatu autor pole ka erapooletu tegelane ja tahabki paavsti heast küljest näidata, aga no vaevalt et autor ka kogu selle jutu ise välja mõtles. Ja kui Franciscus ongi terve elu vaeseid aidanud ja temaga suhelnud isimesed tunnevad, et ta hoolib neist, siis väga tore ju. Järelikult on ta õige töö peale sattnud!
Mulle meeldis tema suhtumine kirikusse ja arusaamine usust ja üldse suhtumine ellu. Samas mainin, et selle raamatu näol ongi tegu vaid elulooga, st kindlasti ei jäänud muljet, et keegi mind selle raamatuga tahaks katoliku kiriku koosseisu meelitada.
Oleks võinud veidi pikem olla, paar peatükki oleks võinud veel olla. Ja eestikeelse raamatu toimetaja oleks võinud hoolikamalt oma tööd teha; kuna jutumärke oli napilt, siis ei saanud kohati aru, kes räägib.

[Mary Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A translation that was put out on the market in a hurry. It feels as if it's a series of articles tacked together. NONETHELESS: I loved the remembering of those first heady days of his election, and I treasure the odd bits such as the prayer he wrote just before he became a priest, "I look forward to the surprise of every day..." This pope of the smile: he inspires me. I am less than critical of anything written about him.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It 's a summary intro, not a full autobio. So if you want a feel of the new Pope read this. It touches on essential points of his life and the transition to the papacy, the process and some of his philosophy and views. It's interesting and I would be interested in reading more detailed aspects of his life, his encounters with God and beliefs.

[Lora Dudding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pope Francis, a Pope of who wishes to be one of the people, not above the people. His message is "mercy". This book is a great way to get to know our Pope. It was a fast read and I was very impressed with everything I read about him.He endeavors to "walk humbly" and "love others".

[Sister · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now have a much better understanding of Papa Francesco. Not only is he a "what you see is what you get" kind of pope, he has been this way for a long time. If you want to learn more about Pope Francis, this is a good place to start.

[Paul Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

How in-depth can a book be when it came out a month after his surprise election as Pope? But overall, it serves as a good introduction to the man and his background.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really learn anything new that I hadn't already heard watching news programs about him after being elected Pope. But now I'm ready to read one of his books.

[Phillip Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, easy read. Good if you want to get a first glimpse at our amazing new pope. Not to read if you want an analysis of hi theology.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information on who Pope Francis is and where his reign may lead. That said, the Catholic Church is still the Catholic Church and I for one am grateful.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

To many referrals to other articles made it confusing. Wanted to read the other articles instead ..

[Katty C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Algunas veces es interesante conocer un poco más allá. No importa si se es católica o no. Conocer un poco más allá a veces ayuda a no tener la mente tan cerrada.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and might be interesting to newcomers but may be repetitive if you have read some of the source material.

[Roseanna Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading