Photos courtesy of Catholic News Service, Loyola Press and Fr Antonio Spadaro
Reviewed by Caroline Smith
Throughout his career as priest, bishop, cardinal and now Pope, the former Jorge Bergoglio has recorded his thoughts on Church teachings and the nature of God in more than 20 books – but one recent release takes a completely different perspective, presenting these issues and others through the eyes of children.
Published earlier this year by Loyola Press, Dear Pope Francis is a colourful picture book which combines letters and drawings from 30 children around the world with the Pope’s response to each of their questions – touching on the nature of God, concerns about family and the problems of the world, and the life and interests of the Pope himself.
The book itself was put together in conjunction with Loyola Press, a Jesuit publishing house which collected 250 letters from children connected with the Order’s institutions and presented them to Francis.
The Holy Father then went on to respond to 30 of the letters, with his comments transcribed by the director of the Italian Jesuit magazine La Civiltà Cattolica, Father Antonio Spadaro, in a process recorded at the back of the book. This section of the book offers an insight into Pope Francis’ living arrangements and hospitality (including offerings of gelato!), giving the reader a real sense of the Pontiff’s character and personality.
The questions raised throughout Dear Pope Francis range from queries about God (What did God do before the world was made? Why did God create us even though He knew that we would sin against Him?), to ones about faith (Will my grandpa go to heaven? Do bad people have a guardian angel too? Why are there not as many miracles anymore?), world problems (Will the world ever be as it was in the past? Why are lots of people so poor and have no food? Can God give the poor people some food like He fed the 500?), and finally questions directed at the Pope himself (Where is your favourite place to pray? When you were a child, did you like dancing?).
Pope Francis does not shy away from admitting that some of these were “tough questions”, yet he addresses them all with direct and thoughtful responses, speaking to the child in the first person and often commenting on the picture they’ve drawn. His tone ranges from the light-hearted: “Dance now, children, so you won’t be too serious when you grow up!”) to advisory: “Stay close to your mum and dad and speak well of them. That will be good for everyone”, and personal: “I’ve never been able to understand why children suffer. It’s a mystery to me”.
Although the idea for the book is quite simple, it manages to plumb fairly profound depths: each question gives the reader an insight into the inner thoughts of the child who posed it, while Pope Francis’ responses say much about his own character and approach to his faith.
The Pope often speaks of a loving, forgiving God who follows us on our life journey, and can be better understood through prayer and religious teaching.
Even when the questions are about human behaviour, Pope Francis manages to give the children a response with a spiritual focus – as when he’s asked about activities and sports, and he links it to the importance of teamwork. As such, readers of all ages may find the book and its questions, not to mention the wonderful and often thought-provoking drawings done by the children, a good source of reflections and inspiration.
Dear Pope Francis is available from a number of online retailers, including Amazon, Book Depository and Booktopia, with pricing recommended from $26-27 AUD.