11 December 2014, The Tablet

The Great Reformer: Francis and the making of a radical Pope

by Austen Ivereigh, reviewed by Michael Walsh

Still a puzzle

 
At the back of this substantial volume there is a list of biographies of Pope Francis. Nine are mentioned, five by Argentinian journalists. Also named are other recollections of Francis, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan’s reminiscences of the 2013 conclave and one, by a fellow novice of the Pope’s, intriguingly entitled Bergoglio and Me: lives almost in parallel. The last remains unpublished. Is there anything left to say? By now we all know of the Bergoglio family’s lucky escape from the liner which sank, and how the Pope’s grandmother stepped ashore into the heat of an Argentinian sun wrapped in a fur coat, the money from the sale of the family’s coffee shop sewn into its lining.Yet if there is something new to be said, Austen Ivereigh is the man to say
Get Instant Access

Continue Reading


Register for free to read this article in full


Subscribe for unlimited access

From just £30 quarterly

  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
  PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.

Already a subscriber? Login