Gerry O’Hanlon
Who knew that academic rigour and intellectual subtlety could come with such energy, humour, and craic? Michael W. Higgins has given us a profound personal portrait of Pope Francis which is both accessible and entertaining. A rare gift—haute vulgarisation at its best, of interest to specialists and non-specialists alike. Exhilarating.
James Clarke
Without indulging in hagiography, the distinguished author and veteran Vatican commentator Michael W. Higgins has given us in his latest work, The Jesuit Disruptor, a clear, nuanced, and comprehensive portrait of Pope Francis and the complex, sometimes shadowy ecclesial world he inhabits. Drawing from his deep well of knowledge, he portrays Pope Francis as a spiritual pathfinder open to lived experience and dialogue in a culture of change. His book is a clarion call for a fresh way of seeing the Gospel, urgently reminding us both of the critical need to respond to God’s Mercy and that the church is not a refuge for the saved, but a field hospital for the wounded—a timely message for our confused, distempered times.
Paul Lakeland
Judicious, well-informed, and elegant, this highly original but thoroughly persuasive reading of the papacy of Pope Francis hits the spot. Stressing the strengths without hiding the weaknesses in Francis’s leadership, Michael W. Higgins has given us a picture of the pope that illuminates the complexity of his struggle for a church that is both more merciful and more adult. Anyone who reads this lively account will come away with a clearer understanding of the immensity and importance of the task that the Jesuit disruptor was called to accomplish.
Brother Mark O’Connor FMS
Michael W. Higgins provides us with an accessible and insightful study of a remarkably resilient pope and his mission to renew global Catholicism, amidst considerable opposition, in the spirit of Vatican 11. And with an extraordinary command of the history and intellectual sources that have shaped Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Higgins reveals to us a pope convinced that the church must urgently reform itself, by accompanying ordinary people in the struggle to believe, in our dangerously polarized world.
John Fraser
Had there been a recruiting station nearby for Roman Catholic wannabes when I finished reading Michael W. Higgins's new study of Pope Francis, I would have signed up. The author, like his papal subject, believes in a Catholic Church that is open to all sinners and welcoming to all searchers. Higgins is a deeply thoughtful writer who hasn’t lost the skills to engage and delight. He is the perfect biographer for this remarkable pontiff, so unafraid to show either his failings or his most profound aspirations. Francis is indeed a disruptor, an actual inspirational disruptor for a time in need of great disruptions.
Catherine Clifford
Readers will be grateful that the erudite Michael W. Higgins, bitten early by ‘the papal bug,’ continues to ply his trade. With passionate wit and perceptivity, this astute observer of Vatican affairs paints a deeply personal portrait of the Argentine outlier pope. He helpfully takes the measure of Francis’s role in the reshaping of Catholicism at a moment when the whole of human civilization finds itself a crossroads.
Douglas Roche
Sagacious and lucid, Michael W. Higgins, ‘the church basement pope’ as he was known in his youth, writes knowingly of Pope Francis’s struggles with recalcitrant prelates, sexual abuse scandals, the controversial role of women in the church, and most of all, the fulfillment of the Second Vatican Council in unleashing the creativity of lay people in the ongoing synod process. Higgins illuminates Francis’s recovery of the original animating spirit of the church.
Dr. Mark G. McGowan
Michael W. Higgins has written a very accessible academic, yet deeply personal examination of the pontificate of Francis thus far. Placing Francis within the context of some of the significant Christian thinkers of the past who have influenced him—Teilhard de Chardin, John Henry Newman, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Dorothy Day, John XXIII, and Ignatius of Loyola—readers will enjoy a complex yet not uncritical portrait of one of the most dynamic popes of the modern age. The Jesuit Disruptor ought to be required reading for those in the corridors of power in the church, those aspiring to vocations in church leadership, and teachers in Catholic schools. Best of all, written in agreeable and erudite prose, this book will be welcome reading for those in the pews, and those outside of the church.
Colleen Dulle
Always a pleasure to read, Michael W. Higgins gives a thorough and erudite treatment of the Jesuit pope’s record on a number of controversial topics, contextualizing Francis with thinkers who have inspired him or provide helpful insight into his thought, and diagnosing with remarkable precision and nuance Francis’s modus operandi. Higgins’s treatment is fair; although a clear admirer of the pope, he does not shy away from criticism when it is merited. In The Jesuit Disruptor, Higgins provides a prescient view into the ‘pope of surprises.’
Richard Yanikoski
Michael W. Higgins sensitively analyzes Pope Francis’s search for ‘ecclesial equipoise’ amidst daunting challenges in church and society. Higgins explores Francis’s Jesuit spirituality, compassion for the marginalized and abused, and commitment to hear ‘the voice of Christ speaking through the entire people of God.’ Higgins’s narrative is fresh, candid, solidly grounded, and insightful—a delight for discerning readers.
From the Publisher
“A tantalizing read of Pope Francis’s revolutionary papacy … Quirky, quizzical, and even occasionally quixotic, Higgins’s approach is accessible and the style entertaining.” — James Martin, SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything
"Who knew that academic rigour and intellectual subtlety could come with such energy, humour, and craic?" — Gerry O’Hanlon, SJ, author of The Quiet Revolution of Pope Francis
“Higgins is the perfect biographer for this remarkable pontiff so unafraid to show either his failings or his most profound aspirations.” — John Fraser, author of The Secret of the Crown: Canada’s Affair with Royalty
“Higgins’s treatment is fair; although a clear admirer of the pope, he does not shy away from criticism when it is merited … Higgins provides a prescient view into the ‘pope of surprises.’” — Colleen Dulle, associate editor of America Magazine and host of the podcast Inside the Vatican
"With passionate wit and perceptivity, this astute observer of Vatican affairs paints a deeply personal portrait of the Argentine outlier pope." — Catherine Clifford, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Saint Paul University, Ottawa
"A clarion call for a fresh way of seeing the Gospel … A timely message for our confused, distempered times." — James Clarke, retired Ontario Superior Court judge and poet
"[Higgins] writes knowingly of Pope Francis’s struggles with recalcitrant prelates, sexual abuse scandals, the controversial role of women in the church, and most of all, the fulfillment of the Second Vatican Council in unleashing the creativity of lay people." — Douglas Roche, former senator and author
"Judicious, well-informed, and elegant, this highly original but thoroughly persuasive reading of the papacy of Pope Francis hits the spot." — Paul Lakeland, Emeritus Professor of Catholic Studies, Fairfield University
"Higgins’s narrative is fresh, candid, solidly grounded, and insightful—a delight for discerning readers." — Richard Yanikoski, President Emeritus, Saint Xavier University, Chicago, and President Emeritus, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universityies
"A very accessible academic, yet deeply personal examination of the pontificate of Francis." — Dr. Mark G. McGowan, Professor of History, University of Toronto
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John Dadosky
Michael W. Higgins is a prolific writer with literary skill, whose turns of phrase, succinct descriptions, and wealth of experience will delight the reader with a readable, provocative synopsis of the bridge-building pope.
