The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has unveiled his autobiography, Spera (Hope), which was published on Tuesday in 18 different languages.
Pope Francis’ autobiography, a 320-page collection of his reflections and recollections, delves into key social and political challenges of our era, such as climate change, poverty, immigration, arms control, and conflict.
Described by its English-language publisher, Random House, as a “landmark publication,” it is celebrated as “the first memoir ever released by a reigning pope.”
In the newly released book, Pope Francis has disclosed that he inherited a “large white box” filled with documents concerning various scandals within the Catholic Church when he assumed the papacy from his predecessor.
Francis took over as pope in 2013 following the unexpected resignation of Benedict XVI, an event that provided the rare opportunity for a direct handover between two living pontiffs.
In his memoir, the pope recounts a visit to Benedict at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer retreat near Rome, shortly after his election.
“‘Everything is in here,’” Francis recalls Benedict saying as he handed him a large white box. “‘Documents relating to the most difficult and painful situations. Cases of abuse, corruption, dark dealings, wrongdoings.’”
Benedict, who passed away in December 2022, then added, “‘I have arrived this far, taken these actions, removed these people. Now it’s your turn.’”
Francis writes in Hope: “I have continued along his path.” However, he refrains from divulging the contents of the box or detailing the specific scandals addressed by either Benedict or himself during his papacy, which has now spanned nearly 12 years.
Benedict’s decision to step down in February 2013 marked the first papal resignation in almost six centuries, citing declining health.
His tenure, while conservative, was overshadowed by widespread sexual abuse scandals within the church and culminated in the damaging ‘Vatileaks’ scandal, which exposed allegations of corruption, internal disputes, and financial mismanagement in the Vatican.
Although rumors about the white box circulated as early as 2013, Pope Francis’ account in Hope is the first time he has publicly acknowledged its existence.
Mondadori, the Italian publisher of Hope, claims it is the first autobiography by a pope, though Francis has previously released works resembling memoirs.
In collaboration with Italian author Carlo Musso, the pope also recounts the 2013 conclave that elected him.
Describing the moment his election was confirmed, the Argentine recalls, “When my name was pronounced for the seventy-seventh time, there was a burst of applause, while reading of the votes went on. I don’t know exactly how many votes there were in the end, I was no longer listening, the voice covered the voice of the scrutineer.”
Addressing the role of women in the Church, Pope Francis writes, “The Church is female – it is not male,” emphasizing the urgent need to “move forward” in creating new pathways for women to have a greater influence in both social and ecclesiastical spheres. However, he firmly rejects the idea of women becoming priests.
“One of the great sins we have committed has been to ‘masculinise’ it [the church],” he writes. “The church therefore needs to be ‘demasculinised’ – while knowing, at the same time, that to ‘masculinise’ women would be neither human nor Christian, since the other great sin is certainly clericalism.”
The pope also reveals a harrowing moment during his 2021 trip to Iraq, where he narrowly escaped a double suicide bombing.
The plot against his life was thwarted by British intelligence and Iraqi police, allowing the visit to proceed safely.
