"Hope: The Autobiography: Reviewed by Bill Schwab

Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis in 2013 at the age of 76. The Argentine priest has made the flight of migrants from war and poverty the cornerstone of his papacy. With passion, he has urged governments to adopt humane policies when addressing the inflow of migrants, defending their “right to migration” and calling the lack of aid to migrants a “grave sin.”

The Pope has taken strong stances on global warming, economic inequality, and the increasing role of women in the church. He has reached out to gay people and allowed those who have divorced and remarried to receive the Eucharist. Francis has been called the most progressive leader in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

In “Hope,” the pontiff aims to steer world leaders in a Christian direction. He does not shy away from controversial issues but makes his voice heard in a world moving further away from what he believes. Both the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, and Israel’s bombing campaign of Gaza in retaliation he calls “barbarity.”

The autobiography begins with a comprehensive account of Francis’s childhood, offering insight into the formation of his faith and values. An early incident that profoundly impacted Francis was the 1927 shipwreck of the S.S. Principessa Mafalda off the coast of Brazil. The ship was filled with Italian immigrants bound for South America. More than 300 passengers, many of them migrants, drowned. His grandparents had passage on that boat but missed boarding it and safely arrived in Argentina on another ship’s crossing.

The Pope, keenly aware of his history of migration, refers to the tragic shipwreck to stress how acutely the plight of immigrants resonates with him. He recalls his immigrant origins and the vibrant and multicultural neighborhood of Buenos Aires, where he spent his childhood. He also depicts the Peronist and socialist groups he was a part of as a youth.

Only a few pages are devoted to his years as a Jesuit priest and the conclave that elected him Pope. The curious reader will be disappointed that he does not depict what really goes on in the Vatican corridors during the selection of a new leader for the Roman Catholic Church.

About one-half of the book consists of a series of homilies on topics ranging from accepting failure to maintaining a sense of humor. The author’s sermons reveal facets of his personality, as evident in his descriptions of some personal favorites: pizza, tango, and soccer. Francis follows the Argentine soccer league scores weekly, especially his favorite team, San Lorenzo. Francis reveals that he dislikes parties and has not watched television since 1990, when he watched a bawdy scene.

“Hope: The Autobiography” is billed as the first memoir by a sitting pope. However, it is less autobiography than a collection of stories, interviews, speeches, and history already known about the 88-year-old pontiff. Through this aggregation of works, Pope Francis asserts that hope is a gift from God, a duty for every Christian, and essential for facing the future with confidence that a more humane world is possible. He urges individuals to nurture hope and transform hope into acts of love and kindness.

I found “Hope” to be an engaging autobiography. Though the writing is uneven at times, it reveals a candid, intelligent, warm man who deeply cares about the church and the world. It is an especially relevant and refreshing book in an era when truth is being conceded.

About the Author: Pope Francis was the first of five children born in the working-class barrio of Flores, Argentina. He trained as a chemical technician, graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1973, and has been a priest since 1969. He was named Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, elevated to the cardinalate in 2001, and has served as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church since March 13th, 2013. Pope Francis has been named Time’s Person of the Year. For 2025, he has announced a new Jubilee with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Carlo Musso graduated in Physics, was a researcher at the Institute of Cosmic Physics in Milan, and served at the Italian Space Agency. He is currently a manager in a multinational aerospace and defense company. He is a member of the British think tank Chatham House and the NATO Defense College Foundation. Musso has published five novels and written several short stories.

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