Pope Francis: Untying the Knots Paperback – September 24, 2013

I found this biography both enjoyable and informative.The book title is taken from an eighteenth-century oil painting by Johann George Schmidtner: Mary Untier of Knots. Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) from Argentina came upon the original when he visited a church in Augsburg, Germany in 1986. It spoke so forcefully to him that he hung a copy of the painting in the suburban church of San José del Telar in Buenos Aires. “Untying the knots” of his life is the theme that biographer Paul Vallely, a journalist and activist on international development, has chosen as the backbone for his understanding of the interior life of Pope Francis.Indeed, Vallely successfully portrays Pope Francis to be a tough and complex person who has lived a turbulent life formed amidst the dictatorship of 1976-83 in Argentina. An understanding of the moral challenges that Father Bergoglio faced is essential to understanding the man. Vallely clearly describes the forces that polarized Argentine society during the Dirty War of the military’s anti-communist agenda: the Left that was secularist, anti-clerical, and anti-Church versus the Right that espoused Catholicism. To complicate matters Liberation Theology was emerging and the Vatican was imposing a crackdown upon empowerment of the poor. Father Bergoglio lived in the midst of all these forces.In addition to describing the forces that formed Father Bergoglio and how he responded to them, Vallely addresses the changes that occurred in Father Bergoglio after the dictatorship, which transformed the man from an unyielding, domineering leader during the dictatorship into a strong but tender Pope who demonstrates a good sense of the realities of power and the courage to act on that sense.As an added delight, Vallely supplies a timeline of Pope Francis’ life that gives a clear snapshot of the important events that formed and transformed him.I highly recommend this book, not only to Roman Catholics, but also to all who are interested in the biographies of the leaders in our contemporary world.

of the life and growth-through-stress and new insight into the person he shows to us now.As I read of his early years of administrative duties in the terribly complex social/political situationin his country, I was surprised that the author did not suggest that the authoritarianism,which the Pope readily admits to now, was due to lack of mentoring and support for him as a young and newadministrator in a local religious (Jesuit)community that was interacting with a national situation whichwould befuddle a most experienced leader.When you are trying to manage in a highly chaotic situation, options often seem to narrow. To reactquickly enough, a person can choose something that seems to work, insist on it and move on to the next problem,just to keep up with the demand.His personal and spiritual growth in his time as bishop and then Archbishop iw wonderful to see, discerning a paththat would best serve the variety of people in his flock, with special concern for the poor whose presence and needsbecame so very evident to him.He is much like the founder of his order, Ignatius of Loyola, who went through a conversion experience from a verydifferent kind of earlier life (as a courtier in a royal household) to a life of prayer and service, again, withspecial attention to the poor, whether spiritually or economically.The research in the book is highly interesting. The story moves along well. The book needs an editor becausethe same passages and word-for-word descriptions occur several times. Maybe it was gotten out in too much of a hurry.But it is still most worthwhile reading and a joy to see such a good, humble and concerned man expand his role in oursociety today where there is so much suffering, but still so much hope.As I read the news, his work and story are truly good news when that is rare enough to find.

Paul Vallely manages to hold your attention as he traces the unusual career of our recently elected Pope. This is certainly a sympathetic biography while it explains some of the contradictions evident in the off the cuff comments of Pope Francis. Vallely clearly did extensive research with an understanding of both church doctrine and the players in Rome and elsewhere. Along with both a good ear for gleaning information from extensive interviews and an engaging and clear writing style the book prepares the reader to follow the Pope's exploits with deeper understanding.

I found this book extremely helpful in getting to know our new Pope Francis. Paul Valley is honest, fair, and objective in his assessment of Francis. He helps me to understand that people, even bishops can change and reminds me that we should never give up on anyone, even a provincial or a bishop. Francis brings new life and much hope to our Catholic Church. May God give him good health and many years so he can be the instrument of change that the Church and the world so desperately need.

I found it to be well written,the facts clearly presenteda true picture of pope Francis before and after his transformationhe realized that his Jesuits were really living the Gospel message.That the dignity of all persons must be recognized.it was through his personal reflections, prayer on the Gospel and seeing his fellow Jesuits working for Justice that helped to bring him to the place where he is today.