The Great Reformer
Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope
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The Great Reformer
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Narrated by:
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Austen Ivereigh
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Written by:
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Austen Ivereigh
About this listen
A biography of Pope Francis that will describe how this revolutionary thinker will use the power of his position to challenge and redirect one of the world's most formidable religions
An expansive and deeply contextual work, at its heart The Great Reformer is about the intersection of faith and politics—the tension between the pope's innovative vision for the Church and the obstacles he faces in an institution still strongly defined by its conservative past. Based on extensive interviews in Argentina and years of study of the Catholic Church, Ivereigh tells the story not only of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the remarkable man whose background and total commitment to the discernment of God's will transformed him into Pope Francis—but the story of why the Catholic Church chose him as their leader.
With the Francis Revolution just beginning, this biography will provide never-before-explained context on how one man's ambitious program began—and how it will likely end—through an investigation of Francis's youth growing up in Buenos Aires and the dramatic events during the Perón era that shaped his beliefs; his ongoing conflicts and disillusionment with the ensuing doctrines of an authoritarian and militaristic government in the 1970s; how his Jesuit training in Argentina and Chile gave him a unique understanding and advocacy for a "Church of the Poor"; and his rise from Cardinal to the papacy.
What the critics say
“In Austen Ivereigh's engaging work, we come to more fully learn and appreciate the circumstances and influences that shaped Jorge Bergoglio's journey: first as a young Jesuit leader, then as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and now as shepherd of over one billion Catholics. The many fascinating events and challenges recounted in The Great Reformer demonstrate that the key to understanding Pope Francis and his vision for the Church begins above all by recognizing his unfailing faith in the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.” —Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York and author of Praying in Rome: Reflections on the Conclave and Electing Pope Francis
“‘You have to be normal,' Pope Francis told the Jesuit Antonio Spadaro, setting the tone for their long interview last summer. ‘Life is normal.' This is what's especially remarkable about Austen Ivereigh's biography of Francis: Ivereigh depicts Jorge Mario Bergoglio as an extraordinary figure by showing him in the settings of his ‘normal' life, from the Jesuit Colegio Maximo to the bus shelters of Buenos Aires bus to the Casa Santa Marta in Rome. No recent pope has gotten a biography as sensible, as culturally adept, and as attuned to the ongoing moment as this one.” —Paul Elie, author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own and Reinventing Bach
“Easily the best treatment of Pope Francis' Argentine background in English, written by someone who knows Catholicism inside and out. Masterful, indispensible, and gripping.” —John L. Allen Jr., Associate Editor, Crux and The Boston Globe