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My Door Is Always Open: A Conversation on Faith, Hope and the Church in a Time of Change
My Door is Always Open is the complete and definitive set of interviews between Pope Francis and Jesuit priest Antonio Spadaro.
In the summer of 2013, Pope Francis gave three extended interviews to Spadaro, the head of La Civiltà Cattolica (Catholic Civilisation), a Catholic periodical based in Rome, in which he spoke at length about his background, his Faith, and his vision for the Roman Catholic Church. Here, at last, is the complete collection of the interviews with a full commentary by Spadaro, the interlocutor and commentator.
In this compelling and engrossing dialogue, Antonio Spadaro introduces a Pope of great intellect and intelligence, who for the first time gives a rounded and substantial account of where he may lead the Roman Catholic Church in the years to come. Insightful and sincere, Pope Francis expounds upon the contemporary issues facing the Church, including the role of women and his experiences at the heart of Church governance, and he and Spadaro discuss at length the major issues facing religion around the world.
Including accounts of Pope Francis� visit to Brazil for World Youth Week, My Door is Always Open is the first book written by the Pope since he was elected and is the most convincing and persuasive guide to Pope Francis�s vision as one of the most charismatic figures of our time.
In the summer of 2013, Pope Francis gave three extended interviews to Spadaro, the head of La Civiltà Cattolica (Catholic Civilisation), a Catholic periodical based in Rome, in which he spoke at length about his background, his Faith, and his vision for the Roman Catholic Church. Here, at last, is the complete collection of the interviews with a full commentary by Spadaro, the interlocutor and commentator.
In this compelling and engrossing dialogue, Antonio Spadaro introduces a Pope of great intellect and intelligence, who for the first time gives a rounded and substantial account of where he may lead the Roman Catholic Church in the years to come. Insightful and sincere, Pope Francis expounds upon the contemporary issues facing the Church, including the role of women and his experiences at the heart of Church governance, and he and Spadaro discuss at length the major issues facing religion around the world.
Including accounts of Pope Francis� visit to Brazil for World Youth Week, My Door is Always Open is the first book written by the Pope since he was elected and is the most convincing and persuasive guide to Pope Francis�s vision as one of the most charismatic figures of our time.
- GenresNonfictionFaith
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2013
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About the author
Pope Francis
1,323 books1,003 followersPope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) was the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he held ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III, who died in 741.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He was accused of handing two priests to the National Reorganization Process during the Dirty War, but the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March.
Throughout his public life, Pope Francis had been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, concern for the poor, and commitment to interfaith dialogue. He was credited with having a humble, less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he was known for favoring simpler vestments void of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as Cardinal. He maintained that the church should be more open and welcoming. He did not support unbridled capitalism, Marxism, or Marxist versions of liberation theology. Francis maintained the traditional views of the church regarding abortion, euthanasia, contraception, homosexuality, ordination of women, and priestly celibacy. He opposed consumerism, irresponsible development, and supported taking action on climate change, a focus of his papacy with the promulgation of Laudato si'. In international diplomacy, he helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He was accused of handing two priests to the National Reorganization Process during the Dirty War, but the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March.
Throughout his public life, Pope Francis had been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, concern for the poor, and commitment to interfaith dialogue. He was credited with having a humble, less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he was known for favoring simpler vestments void of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as Cardinal. He maintained that the church should be more open and welcoming. He did not support unbridled capitalism, Marxism, or Marxist versions of liberation theology. Francis maintained the traditional views of the church regarding abortion, euthanasia, contraception, homosexuality, ordination of women, and priestly celibacy. He opposed consumerism, irresponsible development, and supported taking action on climate change, a focus of his papacy with the promulgation of Laudato si'. In international diplomacy, he helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 29, 2022
This is an edited transcript with commentary of a series of interviews between a journalist and Pope Francis early in his pontificate. A portrait of a humble, prayerful, well-rounded leader who deeply cares for people emerges.
July 1, 2019
This book was not put together well and could have used better editing. While I enjoyed the interviews with the Pope, it was repetitive and some quotes seem lost in translation. Not a book I would recommend to someone who is wanting to know more about Pope Francis, although many of his quotes are insightful.
April 22, 2014
Pope Francis' clear thinking shines from this book, as you'd expect. Unfortunately neither the format nor the translation live up to the Pope's standards. The format is repetitive, even to the point of some thinks being repeated within a few pages. Spadaro is so keen to explain things that he will reintroduce something not long after having written about it in the interview, and say almost the same things again. The book badly needs an editor but I suspect it was rushed into print along with the dozens of other Pope Francis titles now on the market.
The translation is alternatively good and clunky, with some sections sounding as though they've been translated by a different person translating directly from the Italian without any sense of how English ought to sound.
These carps aside there is plenty of good stuff from the Pope himself: when Spadaro lets him speak without interruption.
The translation is alternatively good and clunky, with some sections sounding as though they've been translated by a different person translating directly from the Italian without any sense of how English ought to sound.
These carps aside there is plenty of good stuff from the Pope himself: when Spadaro lets him speak without interruption.
July 31, 2015
This book is a summary of conversations Fr. Spadaro had with Pope Francis. It's not at all like the interview books with Pope Benedict XVI, that consist of question-answer. It's a narrative of the conversation, with long quotations where pertinent. Spadaro injects a lot of commentary and background so that the reader can understand where the Pope is coming from.
Personally, I prefer the traditional format used by Peter Seewald with Pope Benedict XVI. I want to know what the pope said, I'm less interested in the commentary. I feel like the narration gets in the way of the interview and the essential, which is Pope Francis' words.
I borrowed this book from the library, I'm glad I read it, but I'm glad I didn't pay for it.
Personally, I prefer the traditional format used by Peter Seewald with Pope Benedict XVI. I want to know what the pope said, I'm less interested in the commentary. I feel like the narration gets in the way of the interview and the essential, which is Pope Francis' words.
I borrowed this book from the library, I'm glad I read it, but I'm glad I didn't pay for it.
April 20, 2014
I love this Pope and therefore it was quite interesting to read this interview and see that he is every bit as passionate about God and Mankind as I already thought he would be. Also, it was inspiring to see what a great man of culture he is, what sort of literary and music choices as well as movie choices he makes. The book explains why Dialogue, Discrimination and Frontier are the three values he proposes to the Jesuit Order. Inspiring and very well written!
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon, 20th. April 2014.
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon, 20th. April 2014.
March 25, 2015
Una delle prime interviste a Papa Francesco, concessa al direttore della rivista gesuita "Civiltà cattolica". Nel complesso l'intervista è molto canonica, anche se la personalità del papa emerge comunque e rivela una grande cultura, umanità e soprattutto il coraggio di una fede forte, che sfida la superficialità, arrivando al cuore della gente.
November 26, 2014
I made this wrong pick with this book. I was expecting a biography of the acclaimed Pope but later realised that this was a book with his interview excerpts. But I still read th book though to better understand his discerning perspective and serene mindset.
July 11, 2025
Interesting discussions depicting the inside of a warm person .. who was free from tradition
March 8, 2016
My Door Is Always Open: A Conversation on Faith, Hope and Church in a Time of Change is a book that compiles a series of interviews that Pope Francis had with Fr. Antonio Spadaro, Editor of an Italian Jesuit Journal. The interview seeks to answer several questions such as how the Pope came to Christ, people who influenced him in his younger days, etc. It also covers topics such as the role of women in the church, the church’s stand on homosexuality, the church’s role in the world today, etc.
I’m going to keep this review short because I don’t have much to say. I did not enjoy reading this book at all. Quite frankly it was one of the worst books I have come across yet. The reason for this is not the topics that the book covers but the way in which it is presented. This book is certainly not meant for a lay person to read. There are references to art, theology, etc which the author doesn’t care to explain. What’s worse is that the author seems to flit back and forth between topics often forgetting to make a particular point only to go ahead and make it at some later stage in the book. After a point I was basically skimming through the pages because I didn’t have the patience to read it in detail.
I would like to state for the record however that this is by no means an indication of what I think about the Pope. I greatly admire the man and respect the views that he has. Infact the only reason I’m not giving this the lowest possible rating of 1, is because I liked the parts of the book where the Pope talked about the role of women and his opinion on homosexuality. I admire him for being very clear about his views and for being a Pope who isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
As I conclude, the only persons I would recommend this book to is hard core Catholics who are well read and know sufficiently enough about art and theology. I would suggest that everyone else steer clear of this book.
My Rating: 1.5/5
I’m going to keep this review short because I don’t have much to say. I did not enjoy reading this book at all. Quite frankly it was one of the worst books I have come across yet. The reason for this is not the topics that the book covers but the way in which it is presented. This book is certainly not meant for a lay person to read. There are references to art, theology, etc which the author doesn’t care to explain. What’s worse is that the author seems to flit back and forth between topics often forgetting to make a particular point only to go ahead and make it at some later stage in the book. After a point I was basically skimming through the pages because I didn’t have the patience to read it in detail.
I would like to state for the record however that this is by no means an indication of what I think about the Pope. I greatly admire the man and respect the views that he has. Infact the only reason I’m not giving this the lowest possible rating of 1, is because I liked the parts of the book where the Pope talked about the role of women and his opinion on homosexuality. I admire him for being very clear about his views and for being a Pope who isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
As I conclude, the only persons I would recommend this book to is hard core Catholics who are well read and know sufficiently enough about art and theology. I would suggest that everyone else steer clear of this book.
My Rating: 1.5/5
November 2, 2015
Se devo essere sincera, questa intervista non mi ha del tutto entusiasmato.
Troppi sono stati, a mio modesto avviso, gli interventi spesso ridondanti, dell'intervistatore.
A colpirmi positivamente è stata invece la parte in cui il Papa parla del ruolo fondamentale della creatività nel rapporto che il cristiano instaura con Dio. A rimanermi particolarmente impressa sono stati i passi in cui il Pontefice parla della scrittura, perché li sento molto vicini alla mia sensibilità.
Troppi sono stati, a mio modesto avviso, gli interventi spesso ridondanti, dell'intervistatore.
A colpirmi positivamente è stata invece la parte in cui il Papa parla del ruolo fondamentale della creatività nel rapporto che il cristiano instaura con Dio. A rimanermi particolarmente impressa sono stati i passi in cui il Pontefice parla della scrittura, perché li sento molto vicini alla mia sensibilità.
June 14, 2015
Like Francis himself, this book is easy to understand and embrace. There is a depth to it that makes it more than just a series of magazine or newspaper-style interviews. Some great quotes make it a book that will be useful to refer back to regularly as I shape my own perspective on Pope Francis and consider his impact on me and the Church of which I am a part.
November 11, 2016
wise words from a wise man
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews