Book Report - 'The Church of Mercy' by Pope Francis

In the wake of Pope Francis's passing, I decided to listen to one of his books in his memory. Like many of my reading decisions, I picked this one up because it was the only audiobook that my local library had available from Pope Francis. At just 5 hours, it seemed like a very digestible approach to the theology and thoughts of the most cultural-friendly Pope that I can remember.

Ten-plus years ago, I probably wouldn't have even touched this book. I was much more hostile to Catholicism due to the influence of my church family at the time. In my old age, and having worked with several devout Catholics, I've changed my opinion substantially. You can't really have a theological discussion with someone if you don't actually know what they believe, and Catholicism is so closely related to Protestant Christianity, I was doing myself a disservice to not at least investigate at a cursory level.

I won't get into the intricacies of Catholicism vs Protestantism, although that is a fun discussion to have. Instead, I want to highlight the strengths of this book and the audience who might benefit from it. As much as I do love encouraging people to step outside of their comfort zones and learn something about another culture, I wouldn't want to put anyone in any sort of faith crisis. Tread carefully if your faith is fragile.

Rather than some sort of investigation on a particular topic or appeal for action, the entire book is simply a collection of addresses that Pope Francis provided early in his tenure as Pope. The book was released in April 2014, barely a year after he was elected as Pope. There were plenty of defining moments that occurred later in his papacy, but I think it sets expectations that Pope Francis stuck to for the rest of his life.

Anyone who paid any attention to Pope Francis and the Catholic Church could tell you that he was a marked shift from the administration recently. Where the church has long been under scrutiny for inappropriate sexual relationships of the clergy on occasion and frequently made enemies with those outside the Church due to their stances on various social issues, Pope Francis was a breath of fresh air. He was vehemently opposed to covering up scandals in particular parishes, and instead pressured the Church and her members to do better. He was surprisingly open to homosexuality within the church, asking "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

I fully understand not conforming to the world in your faith, but I think some believers take that too far, in too rigid a stance. Pope Francis clearly took to heart the concept that it isn't our place to judge others, regardless of how we feel about their decisions. To have such a high office in the Church suggest something so compassionate and offering so much grace was incredible.

Alas, I've discussed Pope Francis more than enough. This is about his book. Since the collected messages were delivered to a general audience and not necessarily Church officials, they feel almost like short sermons. At times, he discusses social injustices and how we should better combat them. Elsewhere, he simply reflects on the nature of Christ. There's enough variety that any one segment doesn't feel too repetitive, but it's a little more material than what you would get on any given Sunday morning.

I also didn't realize just how aligned Protestant and Catholic beliefs were until I read this. Outside of the last section that focuses more heavily on Mary, these are all things I would fully expect to hear from my own pastor. I think we often force a barrier or divide when we don't need one. If we were more willing to listen to our neighbor and understand what they believe, we'd all be better off and have much less animosity to boot.

If you wanted a sort of 10,000 foot view of Catholic theology that isn't trying to convert you (coming from a Protestant background myself), this is great for that intro level. If you want something of a devotion material, I think it fits that bill, too. Again, this isn't a long book, nor is it a very deep book. As for analogous Protestant material, this isn't anything like Grudem's *Systematic Theology*. Instead, think more like Sproul's *The Holiness of God*, maybe even MORE casual. This is enough for someone who's just been to Church a couple of times and wants to learn more, but it's equally engaging for someone who's grappled with their faith for many years.

I appreciate that we had someone like Pope Francis, who challenged believers to love their brother a little more readily than we often see in the media. I hope that the Church, both Protest and Catholic, can apply that to our lives and be more caring and supportive of those around us. In a word, Pope Francis teaches us to be more Christlike, and I think we could all have a little more of that.

My thoughts and prayers are with Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, as he leads the Catholic church into a new era. May he have the same grace and benevolence that we saw from Pope Francis, and may his leadership uncontroversial and accepted worldwide.

Resources:

Chappell, B. (2013, July 29). _Pope Francis discusses gay Catholics: “who am I to judge?”_ NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/07/29/206622682/pope-francis-discusses-gay-catholics-who-am-i-to-judge

Pope Francis. *The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church*. Narrated by Paul Michael, Blackstone Publishing, 2014. Audiobook.