Pope Francis' ‘Hope’ hits bookshelves in 80 countries

Pope Francis' first memoir, "Hope," was released on Tuesday (local time) in 80 countries around the world. The more-than-300-page-long book depicts the life story of the pope born to an Italian immigrant family living in Argentina in 1936. At first, it was supposed to be released after his passing away. However, it was finally published this year to celebrate the Jubilee, which the Catholic Church observes once every 25 years as a year of grace.

In 2013, Pope Francis took over the responsibilities after Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope in Catholic history to resign. He portrays Castel Gandolfo, a summer residence for the pope in southern Rome, where he met his predecessor. The book opens with Pope Benedict XVI handing over a large white box to his successor and saying, "Everything is in here. I have arrived this far, taken these actions, and removed these people. Now it’s your turn."

"Documents relating to the most difficult and painful situations. Cases of abuse, corruption, dark dealings, wrongdoings," Francis writes. The pope officially revealed the secret behind the white box for the first time.

Pope Francis, at the age of 89, denies the rumor that he is suffering from declining health and will step down. In July 2021, he received an operation aimed at treating a bowel condition, and two years later had a laparotomy. He says in his new book that he is still "all right," adding, “The reality is, quite simply, that I am old." He confesses that he never thought about leaving the post even while undergoing surgery. The Korean edition is expected to be available in the local market by the end of next month.


Chin-Ku Lee sys1201@donga.com