Pope’s autobiography, Hope, released

January 14, 2025

Hope, an autobiography of Pope Francis, was released on January 14, published simultaneously in over 100 countries.

Described by the English-language publisher, Random House, the 320-page volume—written by the Pontiff in collaboration with the Italian journalist Carlo Musso—is the culmination of a six-year project that was originally planned to result in publication after the Pope’s death. But as the Jubilee Year 2025 approached, Pope Francis made the decision to release Hope early in the year.

In the book the 88-year-old Pontiff indicates that he does not intend to vacate Peter’s Throne soon. He reveals that he has never considered resigning, even when recovering from major abdominal surgery. As for his current health, he is adamant. “I am well,” he says. “The reality is, quite simply, that I am old.”

Not quite unprecedented

The publisher describes Hope as “a touching moral and spiritual testament that will fascinate readers throughout the world and will be Pope Francis’s legacy of hope for future generations.” In the book the Pope is especially revealing in recollections of his childhood, but less forthcoming about the difficulties and controversies he has encountered at the Vatican.

Random House advertises the book as the first autobiography ever published by a reigning Roman Pontiff. That claim is technically accurate, although earlier Popes (including Benedict XVI) had published memoirs in various forms before being elected to the papacy, or (as with John Paul II) collaborated with writers of official biographies. In fact Pope Francis himself had released two first-person accounts in cooperation with journalists: Let Us Dream, with Austen Ivereigh, published in 2020l and Life: My Story through History, with Aubrey Botsford, released just last year.

Questions left unanswered

The most memorable sections of Hope are the Pope’s recollections of his childhood in Buenos Aires and his early years in ministry there. He explains how his background shaped his attitudes, particularly his care for migrants (since his family had migrated from Italy), his horror of war (based on his parents’ memories), and his concern for the poor (who were in evidence in the community around him). He writes with energy about discovering his vocation to the priesthood and serving as a priest, then eventually as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

However the first reviews of Hope have noticed that the book says little about the mysteries and controversies of the Pope’s life. For example, the book sheds no light on the future Pontiff’s rocky experience as a Jesuit provincial and his subsequent exile. An AP story remarks that the Pope does not explain why his proposed doctoral dissertation, on the theologian Romano Guardini, was never finished.

Similarly, the Pontiff offers very little inside information about the major initiatives of his pontificate. The New York Times notes:

For example, Francis says little about his years at the Vatican. His comment that the “reform of the Roman Curia was the most demanding, and for a long while there was the greatest resistance to change” does not offer any details about the struggles that were involved.

While he expresses his sorrow about the scandals that have enveloped the Vatican, Pope Francis does not give any new information on that front, either. Shortly after his election, Pope Francis met with his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who presented him with a large box of documents. In Hope, Pope Francis confirms what many Vatican-watchers had strongly suspected: that the box contained “documents relating to the most difficult and painful situations: cases of abuse, corruption, dark dealings, wrongdoings.” But Pope Francis says nothing further about the information in those files, or what—if anything—he had done to address the scandals.

On the other hand the Pope is not at all reluctant to speak forcefully in Hope about his move to restrict the traditional Latin liturgy. He repeats his accusation that traditionalist priests are often dedicated to “clerical ostentation,” as demonstrated by “elegant and costly tailoring, lace, fancy trimmings, rochets.” He remarks: “These ways of dressing up sometimes conceal mental imbalance, emotional deviation, behavioral difficulties, a personal problem that may be exploited.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis' autobiography 'Hope' hits bookshelves in 80 countries (Vatican News)
• Pope Francis is introspective and self-critical in his autobiography, at least about his youth (AP)
• Pope Francis’ Autobiography, ‘Hope,’ Arrives in Bookstores (New York Times)
• Pope Francis tells in memoir how documents on abuse and corruption cases were handed to him (CNN)
• Hope by Pope Francis review – the first memoir by a sitting pontiff (Guardian)
• Pope Francis, in new book, downplays health issues: 'I am well' (Reuters)