NEW BOOK DETAILS REASON FRANCIS IS ACTING IN A DIFFERENT WAY, WITH MAJOR EFFECTS

Shaking Up the Vatican

Journalist Elisabetta Pique highlights how Pope Francis is changing the way the church does business.

Jorge Bergoglio grew up dancing the milonga, playing soccer and listening to opera in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following a religious vocation, he joined the seminary of Villa Devoto in 1957. Now known as Pope Francis, he has demonstrated the same humility and relatability at the Vatican that he brought to Argentina as a priest and archbishop, says journalist Elisabetta Pique. In her new book, “Pope Francis: Life and Revolution,” Piqué chronicles the personal history of a man who she believes has already revolutionized the Roman Catholic Church. She spoke with U.S. News about Pope Francis’ background and how it impacts his vision for the future. Excerpts:

What inspired you to write the book?

The day after the election of Pope Francis, I received a call from an editor of El Ateneo, an Argentinian publishing house, who asked me to write a biography about the new pope. I had my doubts. I had known the pope for a long time, but to do a bio of a pope is quite different.

How is his background different from those of other popes?

If you think of [Popes] John Paul II or Benedict XVI, they were from very small cities in Poland and Germany. Buenos Aires is a big Latin American metropolis, where you see the difference between rich and poor. Francis never studied in Rome, and he was always a pastor who would walk the streets. He was a leader in very difficult moments in Argentina. He’s a pope with a lot of experience with how to govern, and he was elected to heal a church hit with a lot of scandals. Francis is a man of government. You see that he’s very comfortable being pope, and the people are comfortable with him.

What is the “Francis effect”?

We had a church that was very far from people, and Francis is reaching out to people who are now interested in his very direct and easy-to-understand language. We have full churches all over the world. In Rome, St. Peter’s Square is full like it hasn’t been for a long time. The “Francis effect” is that he’s asking the church not to condemn and judge but to accompany the wounded people of this time.

In other words… Do not admonish the sinner, leave the sinner in their sins because according to the gospel of Bergoglio All of us will be up there together, all of us!  Such thinking only leads souls to HELL!! Bergoglio is Not a Loyal Son of the Church and must be resisted!

How is the papal name “Francis” significant?

[Saint] Francis of Assisi decided to give up his wealth to stay with the poor and demanded the repair of the church. Francis has also. He is becoming the voice of people who have no voice, and he’s speaking out against social injustices, war and this dictatorship of an economy without a human face.

What are your impressions of the recent Vatican synod on the family?

The pope is a man who knows reality very well. He has mud on his shoes. And, for that reason, he called this synod on the family that is considered a new chapter for the Catholic Church. He, of course, supports the institutional family and the indissolubility of marriage, but he had the courage to put on the table the reality that the family is an institution that is in crisis. There was one phase this October, and there will be another synod in October 2015. The pope started a process. It’s a work in progress, and after the second synod the pope will have the last word.

How can the church engage the young?

A lot of Catholics who were disappointed and left the church are coming back, especially young people. Francis is always speaking about how we have to pave the way for an economy that will help the young, who are the future, as well as the old. If there was already a connection with John Paul II, and in a way with Benedict, I think with Francis, it’s three times more. It’s had a huge effect on young people.

Will Pope Francis change the church’s stances?

You can see the openness of this pope. The pope insists that the church cannot exclude anybody, so a gay couple should be embraced by the church, but you cannot expect him to approve of gay marriage. Regarding contraception, it’s true that a lot of Catholics are not following the teachings of the church, so there is a big distance between what the church says and what Catholics do. This is something that needs to be discussed.

What will be Pope Francis’ legacy?

We have a pope who is dismantling this Vatican; he has the courage to change the way things have been done. The legacy is happening now, and Pope Francis is transforming the church. Since the first day that I saw him presenting himself to the world, not with red shoes but with his normal black shoes and his normal silver cross, I had a sensation that he was starting the revolution. I know now that I had the correct sensation.

What do you hope readers take away?

I hope in America, knowing that the pope will come there in 11 months, people understand who [Francis] is. All the things that he has done that have surprised the world since his election he has always done. Consistently, he has cared for and been a pastor for suffering people, including all of the rejected parts of society. He says to go out where you can care for the homeless with a smile, with a coin. This is the pope.

Source: SHAKING UP THE VATICAN