by Father Alberto Rossa CMF
In Pope Francis’s new book, Life. My Story Through History, he recounts, for the first time, his life through the events that have marked humanity. It is a very original book in which he narrates personal stories intertwined with the great events of the last eight decades. It is an unpublished autobiography in which the pontiff recounts his memories from the beginning of World War II in 1939, when he was just three-years-old, to the present day.
“When we reach a certain age, it is important, even for ourselves, to remember. It is an exercise in discernment that we should all do before it is too late,” the pope says.
Pope Francis looks back at major world-changing events such as World War II, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the military dictatorship in Argentina, the landing on the moon, the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, the great economic recession of 2008, the Covid-19 pandemic, Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, and the conclave that elected him pope after which he took the name Francis.
At the same time, the pope puts out some important messages on the most burning issues of today: social inequalities, the climate crisis, war, nuclear weapons, racial discrimination, and pro-life battles.
He reminds us of God’s way: Closeness, compassion, and tenderness. “By getting our hands dirty, we give meaning to our existence by seeking God in the midst of the poor, touching their hands, and looking into their eyes. By being among the invisible in our cities, by welcoming and supporting them, we will profit, and our lives will be better!”
When we reach a certain age, it is important, even for ourselves, to remember. It is an exercise in discernment that we should all do before it is too late,
The press release quotes the pope’s commentary on the volume: “In this book, we tell a story, the story of my life, through the most important and dramatic events humanity has lived through in the last 80 years. It is a volume that sees the light of day so that, especially the younger generations, can listen to the voice of an old man and reflect on what our planet has lived through so as not to repeat past mistakes. Let us think, for example, of the wars that have ravaged and continue to ravage the world, the genocides, the persecutions, the hatred between brothers and sisters of different religions, so much pain! When we reach a certain age, it is important, even for ourselves, to reopen the memory book and remember: to learn by looking back, to find the things that are not good, the toxic things we have lived through along with the sins we have committed, but also to relive all that God has sent us that is good. It is an exercise of discernment we should all do before it is too late!”
The 87-year-old pope also takes stock of his pontificate, beginning with the future and says he does not intend to resign. He has already spoken about it in several interviews, but he always reiterates that “the Petrine ministry is ad vitam.” He also warns, “If there were a serious physical impediment, I have already presented my resignation from the pontificate, which has been deposited with the Secretary of State.”
He says, “This is a distant hypothesis. I have no serious reason to think about resigning. Thanks be to the Lord, I am in good health and have many projects to carry out.”
This is a distant hypothesis. I have no serious reason to think about resigning. Thanks be to the Lord, I am in good health and have many projects to carry out.”
Pope Francis accepted the invitation of Vatican journalist, Fabio Marchese Ragona, and has been using the question-and-answer method since April last year. “He never consulted anything; he relied on his very good memory and on the checks I made to avoid mistakes.”
In one of his first personal revelations, Jorge Bergoglio recalls a love he kept secret. “I had a girlfriend in the past, a very sweet girl who worked in the movie business and later got married and had two children. I once went to the wedding of one of my uncles and was dazzled by a “ragazza”. She made me really dizzy because she was beautiful and intelligent. For a week, I always had her image in my mind; it was difficult to pray. Fortunately, everything passed, and I dedicated body and soul to my vocation.”
The pope is philospihical about all the things said against him, starting with an “authoritarian government” and personal mistakes. “If I had gone after the things said and written against me, I would have had to go to the psychologist once a week,” he remarks, but he confesses that some attacks have hurt him.
Ragona tells a little story: “One day, I told him, ‘Do you know that they say that this is how you are destroying the papacy?’ And he answered me: ‘But my vocation is that of a priest, and as a priest, I have to be among the people; of course, I cannot be on a pedestal.’ And this is a great lesson he gives everyone: you can be great by being small.”
