10 Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know

by John L. Allen Jr.

Since his election, Pope Francis has captured the attention of media and the people. Transfixed by his charisma and the many firsts of his papacy - first pope from the Americas, first Jesuit Pope, and first to be named Francis - they are now eager to know the substance of the man. In "10 Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know," John L. Allen, Jr., veteran Vatican news analyst, author, and "National Catholic Reporter "Senior Correspondent, writes with intimacy and clarity, from the perspective of his decades of experience covering the papacy. Discover the qualities that have defined Pope Francis from his days as a Cardinal and the early days of his papacy. Using the most recent, as well as archived, interviews with Pope Francis and those who know him, Allen describes his vision of leadership and evangelism and his desire for the Church to be close to the people, especially the poor. Allen describes several more teachings and insights from Pope Francis, such as: Never give up on God's mercy, always remain optimistic, create unity, and even keep a sense of humor. After reading "10 Things," you will know your new Pope and feel your faith renewed.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2013

About the author

John L. Allen, Jr. (born 1965) is an American journalist serving as associate editor of the website Crux: Covering all things Catholic, specializing in news about the Catholic Church in partnership with the Catholic fraternal organization the Knights of Columbus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L.....

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, I lost interest on popes. He was my favorite pope because he went to the Philippines twice and I could attest to his heavenly charisma. Just the sight of him could make me cry because he looked so peaceful and his smile was winning and captivating. Hearing him talk felt like I was ascending to heaven. He was really a child of God and he undoubtedly is now bound to sainthood.

However, I became interested on this new pope, Pope Francis (real name: Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76) because of my friend Masol Santiago Poblete. You see, Masol went to Brazil during the recent World Youth Day and her face lights up whenever she recalls her experience in seeing the pope in person. Hearing her talk, made me compare the ecstasy I felt seeing Pope John Paul in Manila. So, when the saleslady of Totus Bookstore recommended this book to me last Saturday, I bought this right away and today, found time to read this.

And I think I made the right decision in buying and reading this book. This just made me want to read more about him. Masol must be right. Pope Francis is a people's pope just like how the media called him after he showed up at St. Anne's to say mass on March 17, 2013: "world's parish priest." He knows the importance of interacting with people that gives the Swiss guards real headache because of the question on security.

What I learned from this book about Pope Francis:

1) If Pope John Paul's signature line is "Be not afraid!" and Pope Benedict XVI's was "reason and faith," Pope Francis' is "God never gets tired of forgiving us." The good pope explained that it is us, the people, who oftentimes get tired of asking for forgiveness.

2) The pope assumed the name Francis because of St. Francis de Assisi whose love affair with "Lady Poverty" was the stuff of legend. Pope Francis explained "How I like a poor church for the poor!"

3) To revive the missionary fortunes in the twenty-first century, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said that it will require three qualities above all: humility, simplicity and greater capacity for silence. Cardinal Tagle says that the new pope has all of these.

4) "The faith must be proposed, not imposed," was originally said by both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. The same is now being stressed by Pope Francis so expect more ecumenical activities and pronouncements from the Vatican.

5) Pope Francis is the first non-European pope. First pope from Latin America. First pope from a developing country, Argentina. He is the 266th pope. Why o why it is only now that we have this kind of pope?

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have liked the newspaper articles that I have read about Pope Francis. They speak of how humble he is, how he has dismissed the pomp of the papacy and wishes to help the poor. When I read my Goodread friend KD's review of this book, I knew that I had to read it. I am glad that I did. I especially appreciate how down to earth he is, how he feels that we all need to walk the talk and not just speak the words and how all Christians need to work together to make this world a better place. I know that as a protestant, I am not allowed to receive communion whereas, my church states that the Lord's table is open to all who repent. Perhaps under Pope Francis this will change also and we can learn to celebrate our similarities as Christians. On top of all this, he clearly loves and appreciates children and has a sense of humor. He truly seems to be a disciple of Christ, who has a message to share and is willing to live the words that he preaches. Our world needs more pastors, priests, and people who are like him.

[Louis Barbier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book published by Liguori provides more of an understanding of who is Pope Francis and what are his core values as leader of the Catholic Church. He is consistently humble and wise. He is also very knowledgeable in things of man and God. He speaks out very quietly yet clearly about God. The book also points out that Pope Francis as a great sense of humor, which he often displays in his interaction with people. Pope Francis told a story when he was first made bishop in 1992 and was hearing confessions. A woman over eighty said to him, "If God didn't forgive everything, the world wouldn't exist." The pope in his conversation with journalist drew another laugh when he said he felt like asking the woman, "Did you study at the Gregorian?" (The reference is to Rome's prestigious Jesuit run university.) There is much more we can learn of this pope but the '10 Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know' is a great place to start! I gave it five stars because for me it captures what Pope Francis is trying to accomplish in his papacy.

[Barbara Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Pope Francis and the 10 things he wants us to know goes beyond the simplistic title.


It's a brief read, the content is concise. It takes us from the first day of his taking office to a man who works have already had an impact .


I will be following this man as I believe his influence on other will changed the old head of the Church. He certainly is making friends and influencing people....

[Lorra Metko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publicado solo una mes despues de empezar su vida como Papa Francisco, este libro no tiene muchos mensajes del Papa. Hay muchas opinions del author. Quisiera mas...

Published only one month after he started his life as Pope Francis, this book doesn't have a lot of messages from the Pope. There are lots of opinions from the author. I would have liked more...

[Rosemary Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really admire Pope Francis and love his down to earth attitude. He really lives the Gospel message.

[Jose Alejandro Vega Recinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diez cosas que el Papa Francisco quiere que sepas

Muy bueno para darnos cuenta del objetivo de nuestro líder principal en el catolicismo y el nuevo rumbo de nuestra iglesia