Pope francis ethnicity

Constantly in the public eye, Pope Francis is instantly recognisable across the globe, and his likeness adorns t-shirts, mugs, calendars, bookmarks, medals and jewellery, among other things.

When was pope francis elected pope

Too conservative for some, not conservative enough for others, he is the face of the modern Catholic Church. Yet it has not always been this way. It was only with Pope Pius IX in the midth century that the papacy would become so visible. He was the first to have his picture widely displayed in Catholic households. This was facilitated by mass manufacturing techniques, which enabled cheap books and pictures to be distributed.

He was a child who was never top of the class at school but worked hard; a football and basketball fan who also enjoyed stamp collecting; and an adult with a passion for classical music. He often casts himself as impatient, melancholy, self-conscious, periodically anti-social, anxious, and deeply remorseful towards those he had slighted even accidentally.

Many stories also highlight the pope as contrarian, unafraid to break with long established traditions, including those immediately invoked after his election. The book is littered with pictures of family events and key moments of his life and papacy, some not seen before, that add to the intimate nature of the account. However, it is in the quieter and more personal moments that an intimate picture of the personality and perspective of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the man who became Pope Francis, emerges.

Those seeking an autobiography in the strictest sense of the word might be taken aback by the format and structure of the book. Not rigidly chronological, it often alternates between life narrative and spiritual and moral reflection on contemporary issues. His aversion to warfare and his focus on the necessity of peace is revealed too in conversations when he was growing up.

Yet at other times, the narrative suffers at the expense of its companion lesson in morality.