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The Wall Street Journal
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First published April 16, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 10, 2016
This isn't a straight, boring chronology of Jorge Mario Bergoglio's (aka Pope Francis) life, but rather an overview of it from several angles along with the forces that shaped him & the Catholic church. It's obviously written by several people which makes for some repetition & changes in tone. Neither bothers me too much. I'm so ignorant of the Catholic Church & Argentina that the repetition usually helped, although occasionally it was confusing on a few points such as the sexual abuse scandal. I always knew the church had a lot of political in-fighting & politics, but never had such a great view of it.
There's been a lot of press about this new, dynamic, likable pope who took over when his predecessor, Benedict 16, who retired in the midst of the church sex abuse scandals, Vatican banking issues, failing membership, a major security breach (The butler did it!) & other issues. He's certainly breathed some life into this stuffy institution just by dropping some of the formality & smiling a lot. He's been talked up since he's the first non-European pope since the 8th century, but he was born in Argentina to Italian immigrants, so isn't really far removed. He's also the first Jesuit in the office. A really good political choice all around.
It's obvious early on that he's a slick operator. He correctly identifies the poor & uneducated as the best place for new recruits & I have to admire both his courage & common sense in his operations in the ghettos. He seems to have only dabbled in politics when it was safe to do so. His lack of action during the Dirty War isn't particularly flattering, but his habit of shunning the traditional perks of his office & spending time among the common people is a master stroke of public relations. He knows his church has tough competition with the Evangelists with their buckets of money from the US.
The Jesuits have always had a reputation for being smart & tough. Francis has proven to be both & a consummate politician on top of that. His main focus seems to be on only changing the public face of the church without really changing much at all - the mark of a true politician. People don't like to change, but institutions can benefit by the appearance of it.
- Jesuits are supposed to eschew the hierarchy, but he certainly seems to have run up the ladder, all the while maintaining at least the facade of being humble. One of his supporters said in a different context that he rarely fought problems when there was a chance he'd lose, but surrounded them until his victory was inevitable. His record bears this out.
- He's mentioned allowing married priests, which was already being done in places, & did sanction it there, but hasn't expanded on this.
- He's always tried to get along better with other sects & religions by focusing on similarities. Good move since the idea of 'faith' is being lost through science, better education, & the wealth of society which is hurting all religions. Atheists & agnostics are growing at a far faster rate.
- He cracked down on nuns. An easy way to appease the conservatives? Seems like kind of a crappy thing to do, especially since his note seemed to focus on more praying rather than actual good works.
- He's holding out the possibility to women of making them deacons (almost priests, an office that can also be held by married men, & do all but communion, I think.), but that's it. Just talk, so far.
- Apparently divorce isn't worthy of excommunication, but he still won't let those folks do communion, again treading a politic line. He keeps members while not ticking off the conservatives.
- His stance on the church's sexual abuse is iffy & confusing in this narrative. He seems to talks a good fight by saying there is no tolerance for it, but he also seems to have attempted to make it disappear. He was quoted in one place saying he wasn't aware of any, but there are a couple of documented cases where he had to know about it. One of his dioceses found culpable in the most famous case & was appealing the decision as of this writing. The numbers from his area don't add up, either. While the areas with the best self-reporting show 5% or so, those with the worst show less than 1%. His area is definitely one of the worst &, more than likely, that means a cover-up again proving his political savvy.
- He eased the church stance on gays by saying no one should judge them. Again, just talk, no real action from what I can tell from a couple of quick searches.
- He's against birth control, abortion, & stem cell research, although there was a mention of him possibly lightening up on the first.
Talk is cheap, but he's got to start somewhere & at least he's not alienating people the way his predecessor was. He is the leader of a country (110 acres?), one of the largest groups (1.2 billion) with a long history steeped in irrational traditions, & has an entrenched political system to deal with. That's a lot of momentum among diverse groups to steer into a future that is better educated & looking for some logic, if not rationality, in their confused & confusing belief system while battling the conservative forces. Good luck to him. Seems like quite an accomplished man.
There's been a lot of press about this new, dynamic, likable pope who took over when his predecessor, Benedict 16, who retired in the midst of the church sex abuse scandals, Vatican banking issues, failing membership, a major security breach (The butler did it!) & other issues. He's certainly breathed some life into this stuffy institution just by dropping some of the formality & smiling a lot. He's been talked up since he's the first non-European pope since the 8th century, but he was born in Argentina to Italian immigrants, so isn't really far removed. He's also the first Jesuit in the office. A really good political choice all around.
It's obvious early on that he's a slick operator. He correctly identifies the poor & uneducated as the best place for new recruits & I have to admire both his courage & common sense in his operations in the ghettos. He seems to have only dabbled in politics when it was safe to do so. His lack of action during the Dirty War isn't particularly flattering, but his habit of shunning the traditional perks of his office & spending time among the common people is a master stroke of public relations. He knows his church has tough competition with the Evangelists with their buckets of money from the US.
The Jesuits have always had a reputation for being smart & tough. Francis has proven to be both & a consummate politician on top of that. His main focus seems to be on only changing the public face of the church without really changing much at all - the mark of a true politician. People don't like to change, but institutions can benefit by the appearance of it.
- Jesuits are supposed to eschew the hierarchy, but he certainly seems to have run up the ladder, all the while maintaining at least the facade of being humble. One of his supporters said in a different context that he rarely fought problems when there was a chance he'd lose, but surrounded them until his victory was inevitable. His record bears this out.
- He's mentioned allowing married priests, which was already being done in places, & did sanction it there, but hasn't expanded on this.
- He's always tried to get along better with other sects & religions by focusing on similarities. Good move since the idea of 'faith' is being lost through science, better education, & the wealth of society which is hurting all religions. Atheists & agnostics are growing at a far faster rate.
- He cracked down on nuns. An easy way to appease the conservatives? Seems like kind of a crappy thing to do, especially since his note seemed to focus on more praying rather than actual good works.
- He's holding out the possibility to women of making them deacons (almost priests, an office that can also be held by married men, & do all but communion, I think.), but that's it. Just talk, so far.
- Apparently divorce isn't worthy of excommunication, but he still won't let those folks do communion, again treading a politic line. He keeps members while not ticking off the conservatives.
- His stance on the church's sexual abuse is iffy & confusing in this narrative. He seems to talks a good fight by saying there is no tolerance for it, but he also seems to have attempted to make it disappear. He was quoted in one place saying he wasn't aware of any, but there are a couple of documented cases where he had to know about it. One of his dioceses found culpable in the most famous case & was appealing the decision as of this writing. The numbers from his area don't add up, either. While the areas with the best self-reporting show 5% or so, those with the worst show less than 1%. His area is definitely one of the worst &, more than likely, that means a cover-up again proving his political savvy.
- He eased the church stance on gays by saying no one should judge them. Again, just talk, no real action from what I can tell from a couple of quick searches.
- He's against birth control, abortion, & stem cell research, although there was a mention of him possibly lightening up on the first.
Talk is cheap, but he's got to start somewhere & at least he's not alienating people the way his predecessor was. He is the leader of a country (110 acres?), one of the largest groups (1.2 billion) with a long history steeped in irrational traditions, & has an entrenched political system to deal with. That's a lot of momentum among diverse groups to steer into a future that is better educated & looking for some logic, if not rationality, in their confused & confusing belief system while battling the conservative forces. Good luck to him. Seems like quite an accomplished man.
March 29, 2021
I have been looking for a book about Pope Francis and this was the only one I could find. I enjoyed it, but it ended in 2013. Nevertheless, it tells the story of former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European Pope since Gregory III. This book effectively chronicles his life in Buenos Aires, from his childhood to his work as a chemist to his education by the Jesuits to his heading up a seminary and his emphasis in Buenos Aires on serving the poorest communities and his emphasis on pastoral ministry. The book discusses the Pope's intersection as priest, archbishop and Cardinal with the governments in Argentina (I wish I knew ore about Argentine history) and his relationship with the larger church. The book chronicles the drama surrounding his election and demonstrates his determination to live as a simple priest in apartments away from the Vatican rather than in the splendid Vatican palace. The book is written by a group of people rather than one author and it is somewhat disjointed but as it is the only biography of the Pope it was better than nothing!
April 19, 2013
This was written by writers at the wall street journal so it reads more like an extra long magazine or newspaper article...but it was informative and I enjoyed reading it. I would give it four stars but there were some consistency problems that were a little annoying. The various sections were clearly written by several different people so sometimes the tone or writing style would change slightly. This also resulted in unnecessary overlap or repetition of certain information. It could have used a little more editing to tightening it up before it was released. Overall an informative and enjoyable read.
May 22, 2025
Next person to doom and gloom to me about Pope Leo not being progressive enough is gonna get this book forced into their hands.
This was a fascinating read from the first days of Pope Francis’ papacy. It is well researched and takes the reader on a journey of the guiding and influential moments of Cardinal Bergoglio’s life. It neither harps on his mistakes nor paints him a flawless character- leading the reader to a fuller understanding of who this new (at the time) pope was and where he came from.
Hindsight does, however, make the book’s numerous assertions that he was a conservative hilarious. It was as true for him as for any other political leader - for better or worse, the person elected is not the same person as the one who will lead.
This was such an excellent and grounding read that it might be the start of a new habit - to, during a change of an administration (religious or political), read a long form article from and about the early days of the previous admin as a reminder of how far we’ve come.
This was a fascinating read from the first days of Pope Francis’ papacy. It is well researched and takes the reader on a journey of the guiding and influential moments of Cardinal Bergoglio’s life. It neither harps on his mistakes nor paints him a flawless character- leading the reader to a fuller understanding of who this new (at the time) pope was and where he came from.
Hindsight does, however, make the book’s numerous assertions that he was a conservative hilarious. It was as true for him as for any other political leader - for better or worse, the person elected is not the same person as the one who will lead.
This was such an excellent and grounding read that it might be the start of a new habit - to, during a change of an administration (religious or political), read a long form article from and about the early days of the previous admin as a reminder of how far we’ve come.
January 20, 2015
Reporters from The Wall Street Journal combined to put together this brief biographical sketch of the Catholic Church's new Pope Francis. Even the most causal observer of the Pope's statements and sentiments may have sensed that this Pope appears more open to change, and more accepting of all, than many of his predecessors. That sense of a new direction and being more closely aligned with the common man made me curious about the new Pope, and curious about reading this book.
The book doesn't go into too much detail about Father Bergoglio's very early life, but does give a good picture of the type of priest he was in Argentina. There, as Father Bergoglio, and later Bishop and Cardinal Bergoglio, he seemed to have a deep sense of mission to the poor. Father Bergoglio tended to the people of the slums of Argentina, and appears to feel that the Church, and especially the Church's hierarchy, have drifted from the message of Jesus and the needs of the poor. My sense is that the messages from the new Pope are consistent and a continuation of his life's work as a priest of the people in his home Country.
Of course, any current book about the Church might be expected to discuss, to some extent, the recent sexual abuse scandals of a number of priests. This book is no exception. And while the book makes it clear that as a Church leader in his Country that he spoke out strongly against any priests who misbehaved or broke the law, there weren't examples of situations in which he personally became aware of priestly abuse either. In another area, there was some question in the book as to whether Father Bergoglio spoke out enough during the political turmoil in Argentina to protect the people. Some apparently feel he did everything he could do, and others apparently felt he could have and should have been a more forceful voice for the politically oppressed.
The books apparent purpose isn't to find fault with Father Bergoglio in his religious life in Argentina, nor to prematurely proclaim him a Saint within the Church before his time. Rather, it appears that the writers simply try to give the reader a sense of who this new Pope is by describing his ministry prior to being elevated to the leader of the Church of Rome, and in that regard, they were successful.
The book doesn't go into too much detail about Father Bergoglio's very early life, but does give a good picture of the type of priest he was in Argentina. There, as Father Bergoglio, and later Bishop and Cardinal Bergoglio, he seemed to have a deep sense of mission to the poor. Father Bergoglio tended to the people of the slums of Argentina, and appears to feel that the Church, and especially the Church's hierarchy, have drifted from the message of Jesus and the needs of the poor. My sense is that the messages from the new Pope are consistent and a continuation of his life's work as a priest of the people in his home Country.
Of course, any current book about the Church might be expected to discuss, to some extent, the recent sexual abuse scandals of a number of priests. This book is no exception. And while the book makes it clear that as a Church leader in his Country that he spoke out strongly against any priests who misbehaved or broke the law, there weren't examples of situations in which he personally became aware of priestly abuse either. In another area, there was some question in the book as to whether Father Bergoglio spoke out enough during the political turmoil in Argentina to protect the people. Some apparently feel he did everything he could do, and others apparently felt he could have and should have been a more forceful voice for the politically oppressed.
The books apparent purpose isn't to find fault with Father Bergoglio in his religious life in Argentina, nor to prematurely proclaim him a Saint within the Church before his time. Rather, it appears that the writers simply try to give the reader a sense of who this new Pope is by describing his ministry prior to being elevated to the leader of the Church of Rome, and in that regard, they were successful.
April 25, 2013
They did not have much time to get this one out. It does read like an extended magazine article. I did find it informative and a nice introduction to the new Pope.
August 10, 2018
Great as far as it goes bu so much has happened and still happening. That is the book I want to be reading about the most influential Christian of this time, right now.
June 8, 2019
“He has criticized a democratic government but wouldn’t criticize a dictatorship that was kidnapping babies and murdering people,” says Javier Garin, a human-rights lawyer and Kirchner supporter.
February 9, 2023
If reading for school preview, scandals are discussed.
Good journalistic overview from the start of his papacy, comprehensive, favorable but not glossing over criticisms, lots of detail.
Good journalistic overview from the start of his papacy, comprehensive, favorable but not glossing over criticisms, lots of detail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2014
from the colonies, latin either murderous generals or left wing extreme, stand defiant against secularism, church more grounded in real world, don’t forget poor, pope of slums, 59 Cuban revolution Marxists, poor are treasure of church, the explorer group similar to scouts, listen to and reflect, arrival of Virgin Dec 8, drugs main problem paco, China church by state concern with materialism, American secularism, corruption in Vatican lack of financial transparency, rethink what was doing to concentrate seminary and girlfriend, Jesuit missionary contemplatives in action, mission of church saving souls or social justice-liberation theology, 70’s dictatorship 2 priests taken, same sex a distortion of God’s plan, what is of father of lies, media coverage a blessing on scandals abuse, priests accused and convicted big gap, against secular trend and adapting to times, Italians characteristically divided on support, go to periphery as mother, get to the point—Jesus, odds stacked against him, wash feet 12 prisoners.
January 5, 2014
I enjoyed the book and it was relatively unbiased. However, it focused more on the sexual abuse scandal more than on the life of the would be Pope. While I understand the need to do this, I was more interested in his background.
April 18, 2013
Interesante libro con información relevante.
May 8, 2013
Not bad for an instant book! One of the reporters really knows Argentina and did a good job of describing the context that formed Pope Francis.
June 28, 2013
A well researched, matter-of-fact, book about the rise of Pope Francis to the papacy.
June 18, 2013
Very good book. I really enjoyed the bits of history about the current Pope, Catholic church and facts about Argentina and Italy. Easy read, informative.
January 21, 2017
Great quick overview of how Pope Francis got to where he is. Peace.
July 10, 2014
Points off because there was too much focus on the sexual abuse issue in the church. Important topic, but not what I was looking for. The rest was informative and interesting.
September 17, 2015
This is a good basic overview of his Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, his early life and the circumstances leading to his election as Pope.
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August 27, 2023downmagaz.net
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews