Pope Francis’ new memoir: Five things we’re learning: NPR

He is the first Latin American pope, the first to take the name Francis and the first sitting pontiff to publish his memoirs since the 15th century.

Autobiography of Pope Francis, Hopearrives in bookstores in more than 80 countries on Tuesday, January 14, according to its publisher, Penguin Random House.

The plan was to publish the pope’s memoirs after his death, writes co-author Carlo Musso. But Francis decided to release the book early to coincide with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, which began on Christmas Eve.

In HopeFrancis reiterates many themes of his papacy: a deep-rooted hatred of war and unchecked capitalism; a concern for the environment; a desire for the Catholic Church to be seen as a field hospital and not a fortress.

Although presented by the publisher as the first memoir of a serving pope, it follows by several centuries the reflections of Pope Pius II on the Renaissance in “The Commentaries”.

Yet it is quite unusual for a modern pope to reveal his thoughts so directly. Here are five new things we learn about Francis in “Hope.”

1. He was almost not born at all.

The Pope’s memoirs begin with a dramatic shipwreck.

“Many passengers fell or threw themselves into the sea and drowned,” he wrote. “Some, it was said, were overcome by despair. Others, as local newspapers reported, were eaten alive by sharks.”

Nearly 300 people died when the ocean liner sank off the coast of Brazil, a wreck known as the “Italian Titanic.”

When he was young, Francis heard many stories about this ship. For good reason.

His grandparents and their only son, Mario, had booked a ticket there. But they were unable to sell their goods in Italy in time to make the trip to Argentina. Forced to delay, they instead exchanged their tickets for a newer ship.

“This is why I am here now,” Francis wrote. “You can’t imagine how many times I found myself thanking Divine Providence.”

2. His father died after suffering a heart attack during a football match.

The Pope is a noted fan of football, or football as he – and most of the world – call it. He has a particular affinity with San Lorenzo, the club in his neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

But tragedy struck Francis’ family during a soccer game in San Lorenzo. His father, Mario, had a heart attack while applauding a goal. He was taken home and received medical treatment, but died of heart disease within 20 days on September 24, 1961. He was only 53 years old. The eldest of his parents’ five children, the future pope had to grow up quickly and take care of his brothers and sisters.

3. He vowed not to watch TV and didn’t actually cheat.

Journalists who cover the Vatican have heard for years that Francis doesn’t watch television, but the reason behind this habit remains somewhat mysterious.

In “Hope,” Francis reveals that he made a vow to the Virgin Mary on July 15, 1990. That evening, he writes, he was watching television with his Jesuit community in Buenos Aires when “a sordid scene appeared in the screen, which deeply offended me.

“It was as if God had told me that television was not for me, that it was of no use to me,” the pope wrote.

The pope has made rare exceptions – September 11, 2001, for example. But for the most part, he kept his vow, even if it meant missing San Lorenzo soccer games. The Swiss guards take care of him: they leave notes on his desk with the latest scores and rankings.

4. Would-be assassins targeted the Pope during his visit to Iraq

All his advisers told him it was too dangerous to go to Iraq in 2021, the pope said. In fact, Francis was targeted during the trip.

British intelligence informed Vatican security that a woman carrying explosives – “a young suicide bomber,” in the Pope’s words – “was going to Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit. And a truck had gone to high speed with the same intention.”

The pope asked Vatican security what happened to the would-be assassins. “The commander replied laconically: ‘They are no longer there.'”

The Iraqi police had “intercepted and detonated them,” the pope writes. “It also shocked me deeply.”

5. He planned his funeral carefully.

The pope revealed in 2023 that he did not wish to be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, the final resting place of many former pontiffs. Instead, he chose his favorite church in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore, a place where he often goes to pray before big moments.

“The Vatican is the house of my final service, not my eternal home,” Francis writes.

The pope doesn’t want a lavish funeral either. In fact, he asked the master of ceremonies to radically simplify the traditional liturgy of papal funerals.

“With dignity, but like every Christian, because the Bishop of Rome is a pastor and a disciple, not a powerful man of this world,” Francis writes.