Francis: Man of Prayer

by Mario Escobar

Overview

First Jesuit. First Latin American. And a new pope who chose as his first act a simple request: please pray for me.

The recent resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took the world by surprise and for good reason. More than 600 years had passed since a pope last left his post.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, is a man of prayer, a man of action, and a humble man who has always promoted others over himself. In fact, it was Bergoglio who bowed out of the running in the papal election of 2005 to facilitate the rise of Benedict XVI.

However, the new pope faces a Catholic Church in crisis—a church that has lost the media pull of John Paul II and is still hounded by pedophile scandals and the filtration of documents from former papal administrations. His first year may not be an easy one, but neither this man nor the church itself has ever shied away from the challenges thrust upon them.

Pope Francis is austere and simple but has vast theological training. He is a man of his time but one who also travels by subway and bus just like any other citizen. Tirelessly fighting poverty and marginalization, he is a beacon of hope for the poor, persecuted sectors of the church. Has a Catholic spring finally arrived after a very long winter?

Francis is the complete biography of a humble man who has suddenly become one of the most powerful and influential men on the planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849922039
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	05/21/2013
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Mario Escobar Golderos has written numerous books and articles about the Inquisition, the Protestant Reformation, and religious sects. He is the executive director of an NGO and directs the magazine Nueva historia para el debate. Passionate about history and its mysteries, Escobar specializes in the lives of unorthodox Spaniards and Americans. For more information, see www.marioescobar.es.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Part I The Spring Day that Changed My Life

Chapter 1 The Language of His Memories: A Family of Italian Immigrants 3

Chapter 2 That Spring Day: Vocation and Surrender 9

Chapter 3 Difficult Days of Dictatorship 23

Chapter 4 The Ascent of a Humble Man 33

Part II Cardinal of the Jesuits

Chapter 5 The Jesuits: The Pope's Army 45

Chapter 6 Supporting John Paul II in His American Ministry 61

Chapter 7 The Potential Pope Who Ceded to the German Candidate 69

Chapter 8 The Conclave of 2013 91

Part III Five Challenges

Chapter 9 The First Pope from the Americas 111

Chapter 10 The First Jesuit Pope 149

Chapter 11 Facing Modernity and Globalization 157

Chapter 12 Facing the Scandals of the Catholic Church 161

Chapter 13 The Humble Pope, Friend of the Poor 165

Conclusion 169

Ten Quotes That Reveal What Pope Francis Believes 171

Chronology 173

Bibliography 177

Notes 181

About the Author 199