Five things we learn about Pope Francis from his new memoir

He’s the first pope from Latin America, the first to take the name Francis and the first sitting pontiff to publish his memoirs since the 15th century.

Pope Francis’ autobiography, Hope, reaches bookstores in more than 80 countries on Tuesday (January 14), according to its publisher, Penguin Random House.

The plan was to publish the pope’s memoirs after his death, writes co-author Carlo Musso. But Francis decided to release the book sooner to coincide with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, which began on Christmas Eve.

In Hope, Francis reiterates many of the themes of his papacy: a deep-rooted hatred of war and unchecked capitalism; a concern for the environment; a desire for the Catholic Church to be seen as a field hospital, not a fortress.

Though billed by the publisher as the first memoir by a sitting pope, it trails Pope Pius II’s reflections on the Renaissance in “The Commentaries” by several centuries.

Still, it’s fairly unusual for a modern pope to reveal his thoughts so directly. Here are five new things we learn about Francis in “Hope.”

1. He was nearly not born at all. 

The pope’s memoir begins with a dramatic shipwreck.

“Many passengers fell or threw themselves into the sea, drowning,” he writes. “Some, it was said, were overcome by despair. Others, as the local newspapers reported, were eaten alive by sharks.”

Nearly 300 people perished as the ocean liner sank off the coast of Brazil, a wreck that became known as the “Italian Titanic.”

As a young boy, Francis heard many stories about that ship. For good reason.

His grandparents and their only son, Mario, had booked passage on it. But they couldn’t sell their belongings in Italy in time to make the voyage to Argentina. Forced to delay, they exchanged their tickets for a later ship instead.

“That is why I’m here now,” Francis writes. “You can’t imagine how many times I have found myself thanking Divine Providence.”

2. His father died after suffering a heart attack at a soccer match. 

The pope is a noted fan of soccer, or football as he — and most of the world — calls it. He has a particular affinity for San Lorenzo, the club in his Buenos Aires neighborhood.

But tragedy struck Francis’ family during one San Lorenzo soccer match. His father, Mario, had a heart attack while cheering a goal. He was carried home and given medical aid, but died of heart ailments within 20 days, on September 24, 1961. He was just 53 years old. As the oldest of his parents’ five children, the future pope had to grow up quickly and care for his siblings.

3. He made a vow not to watch TV and hasn’t really cheated. 

Reporters who cover the Vatican have heard for years that Francis does not watch television, but the reason behind the habit was somewhat of a mystery.

In “Hope,” Francis reveals that he made a vow to the Virgin Mary on July 15, 1990. That evening, he writes, he was watching TV with his Jesuit community in Buenos Aires when, “a sordid scene appeared on the screen, which deeply offended me.”

“It was as if God had told me that the television was not for me, that it did me no good,” the pope writes.

The pope has made rare exceptions — on September 11, 2001, for example. But for the most part, he’s kept his vow, even though it means missing San Lorenzo soccer matches. The Swiss Guards have him covered: they leave notes with the latest scores and standings on his desk.

4. Would-be assassins targeted the Pope during his visit to Iraq 

All of his advisers told him it was too dangerous to visit Iraq in 2021, the pope said. In fact, Francis was targeted during the trip.

British secret services informed Vatican security that a woman carrying explosives — “a young kamikaze,” in the pope’s words — “was traveling to Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit. And a truck had set off at high speed with the same intent.”

The pope asked Vatican security what had happened to the would-be assassins. “The commander replied tersely: ‘They’re not there anymore.'”

Iraqi police had “intercepted and exploded them,” the pope writes. “This also shocked me deeply.”

5. He has carefully planned his funeral. 

The pope revealed in 2023 that he doesn’t want to be buried at St. Peter’s Basilica, the final resting place for many former pontiffs. Instead, he has chosen his favorite church in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore, a place he often goes to pray before big moments.

“The Vatican is the home of my last service, not my eternal home,” Francis writes.

The pope doesn’t want a fancy funeral, either. In fact, he’s asked the master of ceremonies to radically simplify the traditional liturgy for a papal funeral.

“With dignity, but like any Christian, because the bishop of Rome is a pastor and a disciple, not a powerful man of this world,” Francis writes.