The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church, by John L. Allen
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The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church, by John L. Allen
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There is no other organization whose inner workings are more secretive than the Vatican - the spiritual and physical center - of the Catholic Church. Now, with a dynamic new leader in Pope Francis, all eyes are upon the church, as this immensely popular Pope seeks to bring the church back from the right to center, in what can almost be described as a populist stance, blurring the lines between politics, religion and culture. With topics including women, finance, scandal, and reform at the fore, never before have so many eyes been upon the church in what could be its defining moment for modern times. Now the most respected journalist covering the Vatican and the Catholic Church today, John L. Allen, reveals the inner workings of the Vatican to display the vast machinery, and the man at the helm in a way that no other writer can.The Boston Globe has stated that John L. Allen "is basically the reporter that bishops and cardinals call to find out what's going on within the confines of the Vatican."
The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church, by John L. Allen- Amazon Sales Rank: #267063 in Books
- Brand: Allen, John L., Jr.
- Published on: 2015-03-03
- Released on: 2015-03-03
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.50" h x 1.25" w x 6.50" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
Review "The "Francis Miracle'' is an excellent primer for those - conservative or liberal, religious or secular - who want to make sense of this pope as he progresses."―Boston Globe
About the Author John L. Allen joined the staff of The Boston Globe in February 2014, to lead coverage of Catholicism and the Vatican. He is hailed as the best-sourced and most knowledgeable English-speaking journalist covering the Vatican today. Formerly, he was the senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, and is a senior Vatican analyst for CNN. He is the author of several previous books on the Catholic Church, including two books on Pope Benedict XVI. Allen resides in Denver, but spends much of his time in Rome and on the road, giving speeches on the state of the church.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful. Balanced and Informative Look at Pope Francis and the Inner Workings of The Vatican By Jason Golomb “In general, the 'Francis revolution' is being felt at the level of in-the-trenches application of doctrine rather than the doctrine itself. He’s trying to encourage the most generous, merciful, and flexible application possible, making it clear that his kind of Church wants to include rather than exclude…"-From John L. Allen, Jr.’s “The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church"John L. Allen writes a balanced and thorough analysis of Jorge Mario Bergoglio's short tenure as Pope Francis I. At times biographical, impassioned, but always journalistically focused, Allen’s new book presents Francis’ complicated reformation in ways that that even the most uninvested reader (disclosure: I’m Jewish) can absorb.Allen details a number of themes that carried over from the last two popes and have shadowed the early days of Francis’ rule: Francis’ overall perspectives and leanings; reformation of the Vatican’s finances; where he stands on the role of women in the church; his ecclesiastical perspectives; and how he’s handled the sexual abuse scandals.Allen gives the impression that Francis is a natural leader who early in his career found "himself thrust into unexpected positions of leadership.” I don’t get the sense that Francis sought out power and leadership roles in his youth, but as Francis points out himself, anyone who seeks leadership in the Church is exactly the person you wouldn’t want in the leadership roles.“Francis aims to steer Catholicism back to the political and ecclesiastical center,” writes Allen. He quietly battles hard line conservative Catholics, espousing softer stances on hot button issues like homosexuality and the rigidity of liturgy and ceremony. His goal seems to be one of openness and inclusion."He wants the first impression people have of Catholicism not be of judgement but rather of welcome, trusting that whatever eventual verdicts the Church is compelled to deliver will be better received if they come in the context of a loving embrace. To achieve that, he knows that he needs to bring all ideological camps along with him."- from “The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church"Francis “wants Catholics to ‘get out of the sacristy and into the streets.'” He’s “consciously crafted symbols about the kind of Church he wants to lead: he’s sat down for chats with atheists and believers alike, called ordinary people on the phone out of the blue, even invited three homeless men and their dog to join him for a birthday breakfast.” He’s washed the feet of parishioners at local churches. This time with ‘the people’ sometimes comes at the great consternation of his coterie, including security and communicational staff.The Pope’s explanation? He believes that “sometimes you understand reality better from the edges than from the center.”Allen writes about the confusion over Bergoglio's political leanings in the 70s and 80s when serving in Argentina. While he was encouraging priests to spend time in the villas miserias (poor slums) around BA, some accused the future pope of not doing enough to fight against Argentina’s dirty war in the early 1970’s. During that time, Bergoglio served as superior of the Jesuits. He was even accused of turning in two of his own priests to the government which led to their prolonged imprisonment. One of those two priests has since died, but the other has firmly stated that Bergoglio was not the reason they were incarcerated, but rather a female rebel who was tortured and confessed to the priests working with the poor.Allen relays that Begolgio said, “I am father of all, and I cannot be wrapped in a political flag.” This was quoted regarding the fact that he hadn’t voted in the compulsory elections in Argentina since the early 1960s. But due to the Right AND Left extremities that ruled Argentine violent politics in the 70’s, this is an apt quote as well.In truth, during the dirty war, some far leftist Catholics (even several priests) were joining armed resistance movements. Bergoglio, caught between the violence espoused by both extremes of Argentina’s political wars, was trying to keep his Church moving forward, implying support for neither end of the violent political spectrum.A cornerstone of his policy is outreach to other Christian sects including evangelicals and Orthodox. He has a good relationship with the Jewish and Muslim communities alike. "The longtime former president of the Anti-Defamation League said in 2013 that he felt as if the Jews “won the lottery” when Bergoglio was elected."While Pope Francisco is very direct and clear of meaning in his talk, he's been less so when dealing with women in the church. “On two occasions when the pontiff has been asked about possibly admitting women to the ranks of the clergy, he’s said a firm “no”. At the same time, he has also said that he wants to see a “greater role” for women in Catholicism.” Instead of institutional changes, Allen feels that Francis is targeting a “psychologic, theological, and moral 'space”' he wants to enhance for women in the Catholic world. Women have played a tremendous role in his life, however, in his first two years as Pope, there have been “no groundbreaking new roles for women…and no new theological study was commissioned.On some issues that have been particular social hot buttons like abortion, Francis's stance is clear - he holds the Catholic line of stringent pro life, but he avoids using a confrontational rhetoric.His record regarding child abuse while in Argentina has not been stellar as Allen points out numerous examples of Bergoglio rebuffing requests to meet with accusers of priests in and around BA. Allen feels this is probably the most significant area for improvementAs one can imagine, Il Vaticano is rife with internal political stire. Within the 2,000 year old institution, Allen writes, Francis faces "a determination to preserve established patterns of doing business among people whose self-image and career prospects are invested in the status quo."“In the corridors of the Vatican, the argument “this is how we’ve always done things” packs a solid punch.” According to one Church historian, “no pope of the 20th century ever experienced as much resistance."What the book doesn’t have is interviews with the man himself. There are Francis quotes a-plenty but none came from interviews focused on the development of this work. While I still feel that Allen’s book is even-handed, I’m left wondering why the author who ‘is basically the reporter that bishops and cardinals call to find out what’s going on within the confines of the Vatican,’ didn’t have any one-on-one time with Francis for this work.If seeking a better understand of Pope Francis himself, or looking for a glimpse of the machinations of The Vatican, this is a terrific read. Highly recommended.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A straightforward overview of the first 18 months By S. McGee In many ways, the college of cardinals couldn't have picked a better candidate than Jorge Bergoglio, the Jesuit priest from Argentina, when electing a successor to Pope Benedict; it has been decades since the Vatican has been the focus of quite as much energy and enthusiasm, with the new Pope Francis commanding the kind of crowds that rock stars might envy, and the kind of adulation that few pontiffs have enjoyed. He has resolutely insisted that his vision is of a church that is free of pomp and glamor and that is closer to the people, and has made it clear through his own actions that this isn't just a matter of words. How many Popes become "Man of the Year" for decidedly secular publications like Vanity Fair?The author's goal is to delve into the substance behind all the excitement, and succeeds about as well as it's possible to do at this point in time, given that Francis has occupied his new position for only about two years (meaning that, with publishing deadlines, John Allen likely was able to draw only on events in the first 18 months of his papacy) and hasn't undertaken anything revolutionary, such as convening a new Vatican council or overturning key elements of doctrine. Allen does a decent job of analyzing the most significant areas where Francis's policies appear to depart or at least diverge from the way conservative theologians interpret church teachings, such as his apparent willingness to find ways to enable Catholics who have obtained a civil divorce to still receive the sacraments, or to baptize children who technically are illegitimate (in the Church's eyes). It's all about his theological view of the importance of "mercy", as Allen notes -- and that's the main value of this book, in linking Francis's main actions and statements to his theological roots and convictions.Thankfully, in spite of its title, this is no hagiography. Allen is even-handed in his analysis of Francis, noting areas where he has raised expectations and failed to deliver, such as the vexed question of women's role in the church. Allen also points out carefully just why Francis may be reluctant to listen to pleas for women's ordination, beyond the church's traditional teachings, noting the pope's aversion to "clericalism" and his suspicion that in seeking ordination women may be succumbing to that. It's a more nuanced explanation than this debate typically ends up featuring, and is characteristic of the book -- and appreciated. Allen notes the apparent reluctance of Francis to engage in the resolution of the sexual abuse scandals, particularly when measured against his eagerness to encounter such thorny questions as poverty, the plight of immigrants and refugees, etc. All of this contributes to the picture of a pontiff who is human, with the occasional blind spot or area of incomprehension.Ultimately, however, what Allen can accomplish in any biography is limited by the limited nature of Francis's tenure. Unfortunately, after a while this ends up repeating anecdotes and feeling like a series of newspaper articles sometimes stitched together under thematic chapter headings. That isn't to say that there wasn't value here for me, as a non-Catholic (and indeed, as someone who, as an agnostic, is more interested in the papacy as an institution and social and political force than because it has a real effect on my spiritual life). But I wonder whether someone who has been following news out of the Vatican closely since Francis's election, and reading the author's journalistic writings, will find as much here to applaud, or whether it will end up sounding like a rehash of what he already has written. For outsiders, like myself, trying to get beyond the latest headline and understand what the substance is beneath the hype, this was an interesting "starter" biography that, while it won't win any literary prizes, covers all the main topics and issues in a competent, workmanlike manner. If you're interested in a non-polemical book about the individual who now is pope, and his early years on the job, this would be a good primer.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What makes Pope Francis "tick" By Anthony Bosnick John Allen is a gifted reporter and writer. He has lived in and reported from Rome for many years and has traveled around the world with various Popes, enabling him to write with a good sense of history and continuity/discontinuity. Allen's focus has been the Vatican and the Catholic Church, so this book is rooted in years of writing and reflection.Allen views Pope Francis in the context of his early life as a young man and as a Jesuit in Argentina, living in the challenging years of Argentine dictatorship and the changes in the Church after Vatican II. He sees Bergoglio/Francis as "moderate to an extreme," encountering and embracing those on the margins of society in response to the call of Jesus, and promoting the social gospel as a central element of the Good News of Jesus.Our parish book club read this biography and found it engaging and easy reading. It is a good start for anyone wanting to know more about what makes Pope Francis tick!
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