Pope Francis' First Memoir to Be Published Next Week
The first memoir of Pope Francis, who has entered his 12th year of reign, titled 'Life: My Story Through History,' will soon be published. The book unfolds the Pope's life through interviews with an Italian journalist.
AFP News Agency previewed on the 16th (local time) the contents of the Pope's first memoir, including moments when he was captivated by a woman and faced setbacks in his dream of priesthood, as well as his exceptional love for soccer.
The Pope confessed, "During my seminary days, I was captivated by a woman I met at my uncle's wedding. She was so beautiful and intelligent that it made my head spin," adding, "For a week, her image kept coming to my mind, making it difficult to pray." If the Pope had not resisted the temptation of that woman, Catholic believers might never have met the first Pope from South America.
The memoir also includes the hardships he faced in trying to break the old customs of the Catholic Church since the beginning of his reign in 2013. Regarding the time last December when he approved the blessing of same-sex couples by Catholic priests and faced attacks from conservatives, he lamented, "If you look at everything said and written about me, I would need to see a psychologist every week."
Born in 1936, the Pope said, "There are quite a few critics who want me to follow former Pope Benedict XVI and resign voluntarily, but I am healthy," drawing a line by saying that voluntary resignation is a "distant possibility." Since his enthronement, he has been hospitalized three times: colon surgery in 2021, respiratory illness in March 2023, and an abdominal hernia in June of the same year.
The title of Pope Francis, the first Pope from the Americas, is taken from Saint Francis of Assisi, the respected Italian mendicant friar who founded the Franciscan order. Last year, he also allowed women to vote at the Synod of Bishops, a first in Catholic history since 2000.
The Pope's first memoir is scheduled to be published next week in Italian, English, German, and French editions.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
