Pope Francis

by Matthew Bunson

Read Pope Francis for the first and most comprehensive perspective of the man, the man he replaces as Bishop of Rome, and the global challenges Pope Francis faces in the universal church.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Biography, Nonfiction

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Matthew Bunson (born 1966) is an American author of more than fifty books, a historian, professor, editor, Roman Catholic theologian, Senior Contributor for EWTN, the Catholic multimedia network, Senior Fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and Faculty Chair at Catholic Distance University.
He is the author of the books Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, The Vampire Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of American Catholic History, and Pope Francis, the first English-language biography of Pope Francis in 2013.
Bunson has a B.A. in history, an M.A. in Theology, a Master of Divinity, a Doctorate in Ministry and a Ph.D. in Church History from the Graduate Theological Foundation. He is on the faculty of the Catholic Distance University where he teaches Church History, including Roman Catholic-Islamic relations and Medieval and American Catholic History, and Catholic Social Teaching. He is a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is almost as much about Pope Benedict, the Curia and the Papal Conclave as it is about Pope Francis. Nonetheless, I learned a few things and gained some insight about the new Holy Father. I think one of my favorite pieces of advice that he gave his priests while still a Bishop was to evangelize where the people are..."Rent a garage if you have to," said he.

[Kathleen Basi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reasonably in-depth analysis of the last months of Benedict's papacy; the pre-conclave discussions held by the cardinals to help identify the major needs of the Church, in advance of choosing its new leader; Pope Francis himself; and the cultural influences of Argentina's history, shared from a journalistic point of view.

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew Bunson has done it again. This book, which came out less than a month after Pope Francis’s election, provides an excellent overview of the events surrounding the transition from Benedict to Francis, Francis’s first days as pope, Francis’s life and ministry in Argentina, and, finally, what Francis’s previous ministry tells us about how he will deal with challenges the Church is currently facing.

Even though I followed the events of this transition closely, I learned new tidbits and insider info about it along the way in my reading. Extended excerpts, and even complete texts, of Francis’s early remarks and homilies fill out the section dedicated to his early pontificate. (Yes these can be found online but, whether you’ve heard them already or read them previously, it is worthwhile going through them again and having them all in one place.) It is well past the halfway point of the book that we are first introduced to his early years and then in only a couple of pages before his entrance into the Jesuits. (This brevity is disappointing but understandable as we will be learning much more about his upbringing in the coming months and years.) While there is little about his formative years here, background on Argentina, Buenos Aires, the Jesuits, liberation theology, and the “Dirty War” help us to understand the events and circumstances that formed the man. Economic, social, and cultural crises in Argentina throughout his life and how he dealt with them as a clergyman serve to give us insight into his worldview. Apparently newly translated speeches and homilies from his time in Argentina aid us in this understanding of the man. This culminates in the book with a final chapter on the Church’s challenges (New Evangelization, globalization, and reform and renewal) and how Francis may deal with them as his reign begins.

Helpful sidebars dispersed throughout the book tackle subjects like “History of Papal Resignations,” “Cardinals Who Tweet,” and “With Mercy Chosen” (explaining the source of the pope’s episcopal motto). A chronology of life events at the beginning, a nice photo spread in the middle (including a few family photos and pre-pontificate clergy pictures), a list of popes at the end, and a helpful and extensive glossary round out this excellent volume.

An excellent book to close the transition and provide to the reader insight into the newly elected pope. A great way for folks who follow the Church closely to get a read on Pope Francis. For those who are not as engaged, and even for those who have fallen away or are not even Catholic, this volume will help the interested reader gain an understanding for how the Church moves from one pope to the next and an appreciation for the current occupant of the Chair of Peter and what we might expect from him.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a biography of Pope Francis. It is a snapshot of 2013 intended to describe Pope Benedict XVI's decision to retire, the ensuing conclave to select a new pope, and to introduce Bishop Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina who became Pope Francis. Stresses continuity. Other than some comments and actions in the earliest few weeks of his papacy, there is little about Francis as a pope.

[Jeff Cann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many Catholics, I did not know Cardinal Bergolio, prior to his election and installation as Pope Francis. Dr. Matthew Bunson's book is a wonderful introduction to Pope Francis.

The book is an excellent snapshot of the life and times of the Church. Dr. Bunson begins with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and provides an intriguing survey of the characteristics of the next pope (as described by members of the College of Cardinals).

I enjoyed reading details of Cardinal Bergolio's life in Argentina. He faced many challenges and stood firm to Church doctrine. Dr. Bunson ends the book with a discussion of "three key areas of challenge":

1. Modernity and the New Evangelization
2. Global Catholicism
3. Reform and Renewal

The book is well written, informed and a quick read for anyone interested in Pope Francis. Finally, I liked some of the features such as the list of Cardinals who tweet, the list of all popes, and a 16 page glossary of terms commonly used in discussions of pope and the Vatican.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I was completely unfamiliar with Jorge Mario Bergoglio, I was fascinated by this biography. It details his early life and influences, especially his grandmother, with whom he spent a great deal of time during his childhood. He did not expect to become a priest, but with his lively intellect, he was quickly placed in positions of authority--too quickly, he now believes. His tenure as a bishop was fraught with conflict, especially concerning liberation theology. His bottom line is that change must be achieved without violence, and this put him in a bad light with priests in South America who wanted economic and political freedom through any means. There are other biographies of Pope Francis, but this one is well-written, easy to read, and is a good introduction to this loving, collegial man who has taken the Vatican by storm.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does an excellent job presenting the complete story of the election of Pope Francis. At the time it was occurring a lot of unconfirmed information was flying about and it was good to have the correct information clarified. However I cannot say the same about the final chapter. It attempts to give the reader insight into the direction of this pontificate. Unfortunately this resulted in a very dry read taking me just as long to read as the rest of the book.

[Gerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took awhile to get going about Pope Francis and his background. It started by going into the abdication of the papacy by Benedict XVI first for too long.

Went into many good facts about his background. Not too in-depth but a good amount. I'll have to pick up another book to find out more about the actual thoughts of the man to a greater detail.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book I read about Pope Francis and it is by far the best. Everything was well documented and there were valid quotes from many sources. It really helped me to see how he became Pope and it gave me some insight as to what to anticipate and look for in his leadership of the Catholic Church.

[Killstorm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billed on the back cover as a biography of Pope Francis, this is more of a quick overview of the resignation of Benedict, the conclave, and the current state of the Church. The final section has a bit of a biography, but not much beyond what has been reported elsewhere.

Fine for what it is, but not what I was looking for in this book.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK read about the new Pope. There's plenty about the Pope prior to his election, the election process, his early months as Pope Francis and the challenges that face today's Church. Not particularly well-written but interesting nonetheless.

[Elizabeth Scalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkably quick turnaround. I review here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/theancho...

[Melissa Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice history of Pope Benedict's stepping down and brief bio of Pope Francis. I liked learing about what to expect from the Vatican in the next few years based on Pope Francis's values and mission.

[Joseph Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice bio on Pope Francis done in a timely manner. It will be interesting to see how his papacy will affect the Church going forward.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating man. The book makes me want to read about Pope Benedict - and the papacy in general.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and informative, but first 100 pages barely mentions Pope Francis at all. The remaining 80 pages of text serve more to compare him to Pope Benedict.

[Ann Loehrke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into the papal selection process and a history of Pope Francis' ministry.

[FR ADRIAN G HEAD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

This book will inspire you to take your christian faith more seriously. Pope Francis' words shake one out of one's tepidity

[Kc Matining · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to read? Ive already added it to my books

[Gato Negro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wealth of information. Interesting and inspiring.