Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis
by Mark Shriver
Series Page
Book Description




In Pilgrimage, Shriver retraces Francis’s personal journey, revealing the origins of his open, unpretentious style and explaining how it revitalized Shriver’s own faith and renewed his commitment to the Church. To help us understand how Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis, Shriver travels to Bergoglio’s native Argentina to meet with the people who knew him as a child, as a young Jesuit priest, and as a reformist bishop. Shriver visits the confessional where Bergoglio first felt called to a faith-based life and takes us to the humble parish where the future pontiff’s pastoral career began: in a church created from a converted vegetable shed in an area just outside the city of Buenos Aires. In these impoverished surroundings, Bergoglio answered Christ’s call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless, following the example set by his papal namesake, St. Francis of Assisi. Shriver explores how Francis’s commitment has struck a chord in the hearts of millions who long to make faith, love, humility, and mercy part of their lives as they go out into the world to serve and learn from the most marginalized. (Random House)

Published by Penguin Random House

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My Take
A vivid portrait of Jorge Bergoglio put together by Mark Shriver, who journeyed to Buenos Aires to meet and interview the people who know him best. It’s these ordinary folks—the barrio priests and the cartoneros—whose first-hand testimony brings the story of Bergoglio to life. If you’ve been captivated by Pope Francis, this book is a must-read.
About the Author
Mark K. Shriver is president of Save the Children Action Network in Washington, D.C. Shriver created the Choice Program and is a former Maryland state legislator. His New York Times and Washington Post bestselling memoir, A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver, was published in June 2012 and received a 2013 Christopher Award. Mark is the son of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy, the sister of John, Robert and Ted Kennedy. Mark lives with his wife, Jeanne, and their three children, Molly, Tommy and Emma, in Maryland.
"“All people of good faith, including those whose lives are not guided by religious beliefs, will be inspired and enlightened by the compelling manner in which Pilgrimage brings us closer to the heart and mind of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis. I highly recommend this book; it will make a difference in your life."

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap.
— Archbishop of Boston and advisor to Pope Francis