A fresh look at a complex pope with a simple agenda: radically reforming the Catholic Church.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, is the consummate disruptor. He is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but beyond that he is a universal leader with commanding moral presence, able to connect with laypeople and with non-Christian faiths. Francis is also a credible moral voice on issues of immigration, economic inequity, the devastating consequences of political populism, and the accelerating threats to the environment, in spite of the fact that he faces deep infrastructure and governance scandals in his organization.
In his determination to reform the Vatican and ensure the Catholic faith evolves in a way that is relevant to the 21st century, Francis is very much carrying on the tradition of the Jesuits, an order known for their work in education, humanitarian missions, and social justice. A deep understanding of the Jesuit order informs Michael W. Higgins's approach in this novel reading of a papacy unlike any other.
• Michael Higgins has decades of personal and professional coverage of the papacy.
• Francis ranks highly among non-Catholics and most mainstream Catholics.
• Francis is the first Jesuit Pope, a controversial order, known for its work in education, research, and cultural pursuits.
• He has often identified with marginalized groups and social justice causes, and the book emphasizes his penitential pilgrimage to Indigenous communities in Canada.
• This clear-eyed examination does not shy away from criticism and controversy, particularly around the role of the church in residential schools.
