Pope Francis’ widely-anticipated autobiography ‘Hope’ hits bookshelves in 80 countries this Jubilee, and includes narrated memories, anecdotes, photos, and elements offered personally to readers.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pope Francis’ greatly-anticipated autobiography ‘Hope’ has hit bookshelves on Tuesday, 14 January 2025, in 80 countries globally.
The text, written firsthand by the Pope but with the collaboration of Italian writer Carlo Musso, is also made available to English-speaking readers in the United States through the publisher Random House, and in the UK, through the publisher Viking.
A historic first
In a press release ahead of the occasion, Random House revealed that the one-of-a-kind text was originally supposed to be published after the Holy Father’s death.
However, with the occasion of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the decision was taken to release the text at the onset of the Holy Year.
Photos and unpublished material personally made available by Pope Francis
The book is enhanced by remarkable photographs, including private and unpublished material made personally available by Pope Francis himself.
Written over six years, this complete autobiography starts in the early years of the twentieth century, with Pope Francis’ Italian roots and his ancestors’ courageous migration to Latin America.
The text continues through his childhood, the enthusiasms and preoccupations of his youth, his vocation, adult life, and the whole of his papacy up to the present day.
Narration and anecdotes
Narrating his memories, the Holy Father addresses crucial moments of his papacy and various important and controversial questions of our present times, including wars plaguing the world, the future of the Church and religion, social policy, migration, the environmental crisis, women, technological developments, and sexuality.
Moreover, “Hope” includes numerous revelations, anecdotes, and considerations.
Random House describes it as a thrilling and very human memoir, moving and sometimes funny, which represents the “story of a life.”
Moreover, the publisher calls it “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.”
