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POPE FRANCIS IN HIS OWN WORDS
Julie Schwietert Collazo
and
Lisa Rogak
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
On Age and Ageing
On His Appointment as Pope
On Argentina
On Argentina’s Dirty War
On Art and Artists
On Asking Catholics for Their Prayers
On Aspirations
On Assisted Suicide
On Atheists
On Baptizing the Children of Single Parents
On Beauty
On Being Chosen as Pope
On Being Right … and Wrong
On Birth Control
On Bridezilla Weddings
On Buenos Aires
On Cardinals
On Catechists
On Catholic Life
On Celibate Priests
On Character Flaws
On Child Labour
On Children
On Choices
On Choosing the Name Francis
On the Christian Life
On Christmas
On the Church
On the Church in Buenos Aires
On Church Politics
On the Church’s Emphasis on Suffering
On Cities
On Citizenship
On Civilization
On the Conclave
On Conversation
On Creativity
On Criticizing Argentina’s Leaders
On Death
On the Death of Argentinian President Néstor Kirchner
On the Death Penalty
On Democracy
On the Devil
On Dignity
On Doubt
On Drugs
On Education
On Elitism
On Evangelism
On Exclusivity
On Faith
On Family
On His Family History
On His First Tweet
On Football as a Metaphor for Life
On Foreign Business
On Forgiveness
On Fragility
On Freedom
On the Future
On Giving Money to Beggars
On Globalization
On God
On God’s Gifts
On God’s Promises
On Good Intentions
On Gossip
On His Greatest Fear
On Gurus
On Helping the Poor
On Himself
On Homilies
On Homosexuality
On Hope
On Human Beings
On Human Rights
On Human Trafficking and Slavery
On Humanity
On His Humility
On Hypocrites in the Church
On Idolatry
On Images and Information
On Immigrants and Immigration
On Indifference
On Inequality
On Injustice
On the Jesuits
On Jesus
On Jews
On Latin America
On Law
On Leadership
On Life
On Life in the Twenty-first Century
On Listening
On Love
On Lying
On Marriage
On Maturity
On the Media
On Mediocrity
On Memory
On Mercy
On His Mission as Pope
On the Mistreatment of Children
On Money
On Morals
On His Mother’s Reaction When He Joined the Priesthood
On Neoliberalism
On Parenting
On Parties and Partying
On the Past
On Paedophile Priests
On Pessimism
On Politics
On Politicians
On Pope Benedict XVI
On Possibilities
On Poverty
On Power
On Prayer
On the Priesthood
On Priests Who Stray
On Prison Visits
On Public Transportation
On Our Relationship with God
On the Relationship between Church and State
On Relativism
On Religious Diversity
On Religious Experiences
On Religious Life
On Religious Vocations
On Responsibility
On the Role of Pope
On the Roman Curia
On Rome
On Salvation
On Scandals in the Church
On Schools
On Sectarianism
On Service
On Shunning a Limo After Becoming Pope
On Silence
On Sin
On Social Justice
On Social Media
On Spiritual Worldliness
On Statistics
On Suffering
On Suicide
On Tango
On Teachers
On Technology
On Television
On Time
On Truth
On Uncertainty
On Unity
On Vanity
On the Vatican and Money
On the Virgin Mary
On Virtual Reality
On Vulnerability
On Waiting
On Washing the Feet of AIDS Patients
On Wealth Inequity
On What He Says When Saying Goodbye
On What He’ll Do as Pope
On What the Catholic Church Owes Its Parishioners
On Why It Took Him Four Years to Start Seminary After Deciding to Join the Priesthood
On Women
On the Word of God
On Work
Timeline
Citations
About the Publisher
‘I’ll just go with the guys on the bus.’
What the newly-elected Pope told his limo driver and security driver after his initial introduction to crowds in Rome
With the election of Argentina’s Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new Pope of the Catholic Church in March 2013, attention has turned worldwide not only towards what he will do as Pope but how he has lived – and preached – in the past. So far, it’s very clear that compared to other Popes, he has led a humble and unconventional life. For instance, as a cardinal, instead of asking to be addressed as ‘Your Eminence’, he preferred to simply be called ‘Father Jorge’.
Some of the first photos to be published after he was introduced to happy throngs of worshippers in St Peter’s Square reveal that humility and the desire to serve the poor is deep in his blood. One in particular showed him kneeling to wash the feet of a woman, while other news reports had him performing the same service for AIDS patients. It’s hard to imagine his predecessor at the Vatican doing likewise.
It’s clear that his humility and desire to meet with the people on their level – whether they’re Catholics or not – has already won him huge numbers of fans. He cracks jokes, doesn’t hesitate to challenge his country’s leaders on their inequities, and pushes away chauffeurs and luxury transport in order to press the flesh with commoners. And numerous news stories have shown that he offers great compassion towards those who have long been ostracized by churches of all stripes.
At the same time, he shows that he’s a real person, with human desires that he wholeheartedly indulges (well, at least a few…). After all, when’s the last time you heard of a Pope who admits to loving tango and who’s pledged his undying loyalty to one Buenos Aires football club since childhood?
He also walks the walk, which instantly won him respect and admiration around the world. During his tenure as a cardinal in Buenos Aires, Bergoglio refused to live in the luxury accommodation in the palace that previous cardinals called home. Instead, he rented a Spartan one-bedroom apartment where he cooked his own simple dinners and took the bus to work, and persuaded the diocese to allow a group of poor missionaries to live in the official residence.
When the Conclave met in mid-March 2013 to elect a new Pope, the Catholic Church essentially crossed three first-evers off the list when they chose Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be pontiff.
First of all, he is the first Jesuit ever elected to the office. Jesuits have a reputation as one of the more rebellious Catholic orders – often standing in direct conflict with traditional Church doctrine – while also being known for their intellectual rigour.
Second, he is the first Pope to come from the Americas, and indeed, the first to come from Latin America, a region that holds the largest percentage of the worldwide Catholic population, at almost 40 per cent.
Lastly, he is also the first pontiff to select the name of Francis, in homage to St Francis of Assisi, an Italian who devoted his life to the poor and formed the religious order of the Franciscans.
To Catholics, accustomed to stern and authoritative Popes like Benedict XVI, the Conclave’s election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio is heart-warming and joyous, harkening back to the more personable days of John Paul II. And since the Pope is essentially a world leader, on the same footing with presidents and premiers, there’s no doubt that other world leaders are already lining up for an audience with him.
In just a short time, Pope Francis has made an indelible impact on Catholics, making them feel optimistic about their faith, and in turn, their lives.
The best way for Catholics and others who are curious about the new Pope to learn more about him is through his own writings – he has written a number of books and countless letters and sermons – and past interviews. Pope Francis in his Own Words will allow readers to do just that, with his views and thoughts condensed down into neatly concise bite-sized bits so everyone – Catholic or not – can immediately learn more about ‘Father Jorge’.
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