Francis - Man of Prayer

Book Description:

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.

My Thoughts: I was very excited to get a chance to read a biography of our new Pope but then disappointed by Francis - Man of Prayer. I would not call this a complete biography - it reads more like a history text at times which is not surprising as the author Mario Escobar has a master's degree in modern history.

It seemed at times that the book was written in haste to fill a void in the book market when Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope in March 2013. With the sub-title "man of prayer", I expected a great deal more to be said about the faith of Pope Francis especially during his time as a youth, priest and bishop but I found that lacking. Instead there was filler about the Jesuits, Argentinian history and other church tidbits.

If you are looking to learn about the spiritual life of Pope Francis and how prayers plays an integral role in his life, this is not the book. If you are looking for a general overview of how he came to be Pope, then you might enjoy this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com®  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”