Life. My Story in History is the title of Pope Francis’ new book in which he recounts for the first time the story of his life through the events that have marked humanity, from the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, when he was almost three years old, to the present day. The book will be published by HarperCollins, which made the announcement today. Conceived with HarperCollins Italy, it represents a global project for the publisher, to be published in spring 2024 in Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and South America.
The world-changing events as seen by Francis
This is the first time that the New York publisher HarperCollins has published a book by Francis. Life. My Story in History – reports a press release – “is an extraordinary journey through the decades to retrace the most significant stages of our time, through the Pope’s memories. Among them: were the fall of the Berlin Wall, Videla’s coup d’état in Argentina, the landing on the moon in 1969, and even the 1986 World Cup in which Maradona scored the goal that went down in history as “the hand of God”. Memoirs of a pastor who, from his very personal point of view, recounts the years of the Nazi extermination of the Jews, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the great economic recession of 2008, the collapse of the Twin Towers, the pandemic, the resignation of Benedict XVI and the conclave that elected him Pope under the name of Francis. Events that”, it reads, “intersect with the life of the ‘Street Pope’, who exceptionally reopens the chest of his memories to recount, with the frankness that characterises him, those moments that changed the world”.
Today’s hottest topics
At the same time, Pope Francis delivers some important messages on the most burning issues of the day: social inequalities, the climate crisis, war, nuclear weapons, racial discrimination, and the battle for life. The Pope’s voice alternates with that of a narrator, Fabio Marchese Ragona, a Vaticanist with the Mediaset television group, who in each chapter describes the historical context in which the Pope lived.
Remembering so as not to repeat mistakes
The press released quotes the Pope’s commentary on the volume: “In this book we tell a story, the story of my life, through the most important and dramatic events that humanity has lived through in the last eighty years. It is a volume that has come to light so that, above all, the younger generations can listen to the voice of an old man and reflect on what our planet has lived through, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Think, for example, of the wars that have ravaged and continue to ravage the world, the genocides, the persecutions, the hatred between brothers and sisters of different religions, so much pain! When we reach a certain age, it is important, even for ourselves, to reopen the memory book and to remember: to learn by looking back, to find the things that are not good, the toxic things we have experienced along with the sins we have committed, but also to relive all that God has sent us that is good. It’s an exercise in discernment that we should all do, before it’s too late!
An honour to bring his story to readers around the world
We are honoured to publish Pope Francis’ book,” said Brian Murray, president and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. “From his life in Argentina to his appointment as Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has lived an exceptional life, witnessing some of the most defining moments in recent history. We look forward to bringing his story to readers around the world.”
