The best-selling Jesuit who left his mark on a generation of Catholics tells Brendan Walsh of the inspiration for his latest book During the Synod on the Family Pope Francis more than once reached for an image of God that he perhaps thought might tilt the bishops towards a little relaxation of the tight doctrinal reins. He spoke of the “God of surprises”, a phrase that will always be associated in the English-speaking world with a Scottish Jesuit who reached his ninetieth birthday in August. It was the title of his best-known book, published in 1985, which was an immediate success that went on to sell more than a quarter of a million copies and to be translated into more than 20 languages. I spoke to Gerry Hughes a few weeks ago in his small room at the Jesuit community care