POPE FRANCIS IN HIS OWN WORDS

Julie Schwietert Collazo

and

Lisa Rogak

CONTENTS

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

Copyright

About the Publisher

INTRODUCTION

‘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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