Wounded Shepherd: Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church
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- Author：Austen Ivereigh
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Summary
Following his critically acclaimed The Great Reformer， Austen Ivereigh's colorful， clear-eyed portrait of Pope Francis takes us inside the Vatican's urgent debate over the future of the church in Wounded Shepherd。
This deeply contextual biography centers on the tensions generated by the pope's attempt to turn the Church away from power and tradition and outwards to engage humanity with God's mercy。 Through battles with corrupt bankers and worldly cardinals， in turbulent meetings and on global trips， history's first Latin-American pope has attempted to reshape the Church to evangelize the contemporary age。 At the same time， he has stirred other leaders' deep-seated fear that the Church is capitulating to modernity--leaders who have challenged his bid to create a more welcoming， attentive institution。
Facing rebellions over his allowing sacraments for the divorced and his attempt to create a more ecological Catholicism， as well as a firestorm of criticism for the Church's record on sexual abuse， Francis emerges as a leader of remarkable vision and skill with a relentless spiritual focus--a leader who is at peace in the turmoil surrounding him。
With entertaining anecdotes， insider accounts， and expert analysis， Ivereigh's journey through the key episodes of Francis's reform in Rome and the wider Church brings into sharp focus the frustrations and fury， as well as the joys and successes， of one of the most remarkable pontificates of the contemporary age。
This deeply contextual biography centers on the tensions generated by the pope's attempt to turn the Church away from power and tradition and outwards to engage humanity with God's mercy。 Through battles with corrupt bankers and worldly cardinals， in turbulent meetings and on global trips， history's first Latin-American pope has attempted to reshape the Church to evangelize the contemporary age。 At the same time， he has stirred other leaders' deep-seated fear that the Church is capitulating to modernity--leaders who have challenged his bid to create a more welcoming， attentive institution。
Facing rebellions over his allowing sacraments for the divorced and his attempt to create a more ecological Catholicism， as well as a firestorm of criticism for the Church's record on sexual abuse， Francis emerges as a leader of remarkable vision and skill with a relentless spiritual focus--a leader who is at peace in the turmoil surrounding him。
With entertaining anecdotes， insider accounts， and expert analysis， Ivereigh's journey through the key episodes of Francis's reform in Rome and the wider Church brings into sharp focus the frustrations and fury， as well as the joys and successes， of one of the most remarkable pontificates of the contemporary age。
Reviews
Elden Miller
，
I must admit that before I read this book， I was conflicted about Pope Francis。 As a Catholic in America so much of the narrative here is dominated by the conservative traditional Catholics， many of whom are highly critical of our Holy Father。 I never doubted that he was the successor to Peter， but because of the way so many Catholics attacked him， and the way their arguments were presented， raised questions in my mind about why he didn’t answer his critics。 They claim he is taking no action on I must admit that before I read this book， I was conflicted about Pope Francis。 As a Catholic in America so much of the narrative here is dominated by the conservative traditional Catholics， many of whom are highly critical of our Holy Father。 I never doubted that he was the successor to Peter， but because of the way so many Catholics attacked him， and the way their arguments were presented， raised questions in my mind about why he didn’t answer his critics。 They claim he is taking no action on many of the major crisis’ faced by the Church， and it caused me to question it as well。This book answered all those questions and explained Pope Francis’ methods in a clear and understandable way。 This book has helped me so much to understand the way in which we as Christians should approach the problems we face。 Jesus commanded us to love one another， and this is the message of our Holy Father。 We are to operate in Grace， not by rules and regulations。 Church doctrine and dogma is important and needs to be followed， but not at the expense of the dignity of others。 We are called to serve and love others， this is the message of our Holy Father。 This book has been a game changer for me and I recommend all Catholics to read this and share it with their friends， both Christian and non Christian alike。 Jesus has a message of hope for the world， and no one in the world today personifies that message like Pope Francis。 。。。more
Mary Helene
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The first third of the text is daunting， thick with names and vocabulary I do not know。 I decided to skim and aim for 60%。 When I saw an idea or caught on to a story that was interesting， I read backwards to find the start。 But finally I engaged and read ever more carefully for the deep encounter which the author was working through。 Notes on The Wounded Shepherd -These passages are worth pondering:“The kingdom of God is a relationship， not an idea。 It is God coming close to his People。” P。10“‘I The first third of the text is daunting， thick with names and vocabulary I do not know。 I decided to skim and aim for 60%。 When I saw an idea or caught on to a story that was interesting， I read backwards to find the start。 But finally I engaged and read ever more carefully for the deep encounter which the author was working through。 Notes on The Wounded Shepherd -These passages are worth pondering:“The kingdom of God is a relationship， not an idea。 It is God coming close to his People。” P。10“‘In general I can say that I love opposition。’” Pope Francis: a clue。 p。40“”A path to follow in times of persecution and tribulations…by avoiding the temptations characteristic of desolation”t1） becoming fixated on with enemies 2） debating ideas 3） developing an exaggerated sense of victimhood and 4） dwelling on our own desolation。 These were temptations that came from not trusting God and thereby missing the grace that is always offered in times of distress。” p。 122Discern spirits rather than simple， reductive ideas。Collective conversion and humility rather than scapegoating and rantingRelying on grace and God’s mercy rather than a campaign of purification， orthodoxy and exclusionInvolve the laity， the reverse of clerical culture。 p。 139“…more reflective of a punitive American judicial and corporate cultures than a Catholic one。 “ p。 146Aparecide document: the church must move to the margins。 The church is nothing without joy。 P。159“To believe in Jesus is not acceptance of the doctrine or moral codes， but of a person who lives now and is the source of life， not just on Sunday morning。” Cardinal Tobin pg。 187What emerges from Aparecide was this humble discerning disposition typified by Francis。 What matters in the change of the era weren’t the stormy seas， but Christ’s invitation to step out of the boat for Bergoglia then （and Francis now） is the renewal of the church， less a strategy and more trust for waiting on God’s direction， a missionary disposition which involved humble listening and discernment， which put Christ and the poor at the center and the rest will follow。 You convince them by learning how to welcome them。 P。260This pastoral attentiveness to the concrete situation。 p。276The loss of a sense of sin is narcissism。 P286I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness。 P。303Pay attention to the Grace！ p。309 。。。more
Anne
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Really fascinating and challenging。 I felt like there was a bit more of an authorial bias in this one than the last， and it read a little rough knowing what we know now about Cardinal Becciu。 But his explanation of Francis's spirituality is incredibly helpful。 I learned so much and took pages of notes Really fascinating and challenging。 I felt like there was a bit more of an authorial bias in this one than the last， and it read a little rough knowing what we know now about Cardinal Becciu。 But his explanation of Francis's spirituality is incredibly helpful。 I learned so much and took pages of notes 。。。more
Jonathan Jones
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In this book， author Austen Ivereigh provides a review of the pontificate of Pope Francis。 He reviews the issues the Pope hoped to address， and their status。 One can see that the author is fond of Pope Francis， but he’s does not gloss over the difficulties， the resistance the Pope has encountered as he tries to reform the Roman Curia。Mr。 Ivereigh does give a good portrait of the Pope; from the time he was a young Jesuit， to being made bishop， Cardinal and finally Pope。 And what has influenced hi In this book， author Austen Ivereigh provides a review of the pontificate of Pope Francis。 He reviews the issues the Pope hoped to address， and their status。 One can see that the author is fond of Pope Francis， but he’s does not gloss over the difficulties， the resistance the Pope has encountered as he tries to reform the Roman Curia。Mr。 Ivereigh does give a good portrait of the Pope; from the time he was a young Jesuit， to being made bishop， Cardinal and finally Pope。 And what has influenced him throughout his life。 It is a book well worth reading！ 。。。more
Stuart Pineo
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On a personal note， having lived for many years in that overwhelmingly Catholic country the pope is from， I came to appreciate the many facets of this denomination。 Living years later in the US， my wife and I sent our daughter to Catholic schools all K-12 grades and viewed them， despite their Catholic orientation， as very inclusive and largely agnostic when it came to education （something my daughter concurred with as she looked back）。 Throughout the years， I have come to appreciate and learn fr On a personal note， having lived for many years in that overwhelmingly Catholic country the pope is from， I came to appreciate the many facets of this denomination。 Living years later in the US， my wife and I sent our daughter to Catholic schools all K-12 grades and viewed them， despite their Catholic orientation， as very inclusive and largely agnostic when it came to education （something my daughter concurred with as she looked back）。 Throughout the years， I have come to appreciate and learn from， in a positive way， the Catholic denomination and more broadly Christian teachings。 However， I have also seen a dark side of an institution often linked to financial corruption， pedophilia， a general intransigency when it comes to our changing world， and often intolerance against those that don’t live up to the narrow， definition of its scriptures。As I got immersed in “Wounded Shepherd”， it was clear that Pope Francis is without a doubt a controversial figure。 For many， there is controversy in his Argentine past whether we are talking about his Peronist ideological association or the accusations against him for not doing enough to protect the fellow Jesuits he led during the military rule。 Those on the right， will accuse him of destroying the institution by infusing his socialistic， or for some even Marxist ideologies into the Papal office or by not staying true to the Biblical teachings。 Those on the left， of course， accuse him of not doing enough （particularly when it came to his handling of the systemic pedophilia） or addressing some of the progressive issues like marriage and LGBTQ rights。It was also clear that， unlike many of his predecessors， he has brought an aura of humility， simplicity， and compassion to the papacy by focusing on the plight of those in need （including the poor， migrants， minorities， and sick） while addressing various social issues。 He has also done something which no other pope， or for that matter high-ranking religious leader that I am aware of， has done as passionately before him: tackled head on the environmental and consumerist crises and brought ecology and sustainability into the realm of the sacred。As someone who has entered the belly of this large beast， he has faced fierce opposition and bureaucracy and has had to walk a fine line between internal and external forces， while working to move the Church in a progressive direction， better aligned with a changing world。As he approaches his decade of tenure， among his many accomplishments， Pope Francis has brought accountability and transparency in the wake of the endemic financial corruption; addressed many of the issues surrounding pedophilia and other transgressions; appointed bishops and cardinals from underrepresented and largely poorer， climate-stricken regions; sought to build bridges with other religions such as Islam; has been a champion for the poor and migrants; embraced more progressive views on marriage， LGBTQ， and other social issues （though he staunchly opposed legalization of gay marriage in his own Argentina in 2010）; and brought awareness to our environmental plight and consumerist culture as laid out in his papal encyclical document “Laudato Si， On Care for Our Common Home” which this work delves into and that I recommend reading （available on the Vatican website， it masterfully lays out his vision）Time will tell how this Pope will be judged。 No matter what our views of Catholicism， with over 1。3 billion members， it is by far the largest denomination in the world。 This pope is likely to have （and has already had） a profound impact on how its members view and ultimately act in relation to our critical social and environmental issues。 This book was a well written and balanced exploration into those issues and the life of this fascinating person。 。。。more
Brigitte Prior
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Brilliant BookA well-written book。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading about our Pope Francis and I learnt a lot。 God bless and watch over our Pope
Danielle
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I can't profess to have digested every word of this biography; however， I very much have tried to walk away with the spirit of it。 Ivereigh's research is so thorough that the detail was overwhelming for me。 To be clear， however， that's my problem; I live in the world of fiction， so pivoting to detailed biographies is always difficult for me。 I am in awe of Ivereigh， who very artfully fused together approachable Pope Francis anecdotes with more meaty analysis of the Catholic Church and Pope Franc I can't profess to have digested every word of this biography; however， I very much have tried to walk away with the spirit of it。 Ivereigh's research is so thorough that the detail was overwhelming for me。 To be clear， however， that's my problem; I live in the world of fiction， so pivoting to detailed biographies is always difficult for me。 I am in awe of Ivereigh， who very artfully fused together approachable Pope Francis anecdotes with more meaty analysis of the Catholic Church and Pope Francis' efforts to effectuate gradual change。 I leave this book even more inspired by the deliberate， patient approach of the Catholic Church's current Pope， and remain ever hopeful that this ancient institution will find ways to open its doors and return to its more humble， inclusive beginnings。 。。。more
Russell DeLong
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The glowing descriptions， the frequent analogies to Jesus。。。 the author is so enamoured by his subject that the book becomes somewhat useless to me in wanting to better understand the recent controversies of the catholic church as an outsider。 As a biographic work， it may be the least realistic I've ever read。I don't actually agree with many of the more conservative catholic positions being villified here， but I could have described them more fairly than this author did。 For example they hesitat The glowing descriptions， the frequent analogies to Jesus。。。 the author is so enamoured by his subject that the book becomes somewhat useless to me in wanting to better understand the recent controversies of the catholic church as an outsider。 As a biographic work， it may be the least realistic I've ever read。I don't actually agree with many of the more conservative catholic positions being villified here， but I could have described them more fairly than this author did。 For example they hesitate about communion for remarried couples because they fear the implications of 1 Cor 11 as it relates to their concept of mortal sin， not simply because they are being cold-hearted legalists。 They move closer to clericalism because they value Eph 4's call to the importance of teachers and apostles to the church， valuing wisdom over plebicite。Anyway， it was sad to hear that such villification exists in the high ranks of the catholic church （on both sides）， and to hear how political it has become。 I'll need to read something else to understand it better than this book allowed for。 。。。more
CJ
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Written by an unabashed Pope Francis fan。 Delves into the conservative backlash against Francis。 Describes the key challenge to the Church as clericalism or the more accessible word corruption。 Yet when discussing Francis' culpability in instances like the sex abuse crisis in Chile， the most Ivereigh brings himself to say is Francis received false information。 As someone who is inspired by a lot from Pope Francis， I was frustrated by the cheerleading tone。 The severity of the issues from the Chu Written by an unabashed Pope Francis fan。 Delves into the conservative backlash against Francis。 Describes the key challenge to the Church as clericalism or the more accessible word corruption。 Yet when discussing Francis' culpability in instances like the sex abuse crisis in Chile， the most Ivereigh brings himself to say is Francis received false information。 As someone who is inspired by a lot from Pope Francis， I was frustrated by the cheerleading tone。 The severity of the issues from the Church's sex abuse crisis to climate change requires better。 。。。more
Linda
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Interesting。 Appreciated the content， didn't care for the narrator。 I felt as if I was being preached at。 I still like Pope Francis。 He's had a lot to balance。 Interesting。 Appreciated the content， didn't care for the narrator。 I felt as if I was being preached at。 I still like Pope Francis。 He's had a lot to balance。 。。。more
Karen
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Wounded Shepherd is a great look at Pope Francis， his ideas， and leadership。 This book took me a long time to read， but contains so much， it's no surprise。 For the most part understanding the man and his methods is easy to follow， but occasionally the book gets quite deeply involved in difficult topics， making it hard for me to follow。 But it was totally worth it。 Our church book group read it and the opinions were unanimous， that there was a lot to learn and that it was time well spent。 Wounded Shepherd is a great look at Pope Francis， his ideas， and leadership。 This book took me a long time to read， but contains so much， it's no surprise。 For the most part understanding the man and his methods is easy to follow， but occasionally the book gets quite deeply involved in difficult topics， making it hard for me to follow。 But it was totally worth it。 Our church book group read it and the opinions were unanimous， that there was a lot to learn and that it was time well spent。 。。。more
Josh Martin
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Francis is a visionary， and he is deliberately pushing hte church away from clericalisim and towards engagement。
Peter
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An absolutely excellent book， that gives me a whole new perspective on the Francis papacy。
BlackOxford
，
Tilting at the Windmills of Linguistic PowerThere is more than a hint of hagiography in Ivereigh’s account of Pope Francis’s attempts at reform in the Catholic Church。 And he knows it。 Francis is clearly a kind， intelligent， canny， charming， and well-intentioned man， and deserves recognition as such。 But when it comes to doing anything about the state of the Catholic Church， all of that is irrelevant。According to Ivereigh， “Francis’s mission is to take the Church to the people， in order to not j Tilting at the Windmills of Linguistic PowerThere is more than a hint of hagiography in Ivereigh’s account of Pope Francis’s attempts at reform in the Catholic Church。 And he knows it。 Francis is clearly a kind， intelligent， canny， charming， and well-intentioned man， and deserves recognition as such。 But when it comes to doing anything about the state of the Catholic Church， all of that is irrelevant。According to Ivereigh， “Francis’s mission is to take the Church to the people， in order to not just save the people but to save the Church。” This sounds right in line with the populism that has come to dominate other political societies around the world。 And Francis connects this populism with long-standing doctrine in an innovative way: “The people， he likes to say， are infallible ‘in their believing。’ They may not be able to tell you why they believe in God， but they know God。” According to doctrine， it is the People of God as a whole who are infallible。 Francis’s twist is that this infallibility is not about any doctrine in particular， but about believing per se。Francis clearly knows that the institution of which he is head is corrupt。 This corruption shows itself in numerous ways from the hypocritical life-styles of many of its senior members to its resistance to the measures necessary to stop sexual exploitation。 But the most profound symptom of its corruption is its self-image as a bastion of undebatably true ideas。 It prides itself as the treasury of truths which it must protect at all costs regardless of the consequences for either its members or the world at large。It is this self-image which Francis is attempting to change。 He will fail。 In the first instance， the politics of ideas is more intense in the Catholic Church than in any other organisation on the planet。 The ideas of Catholicism are not contained either in the Scriptures it has approved， or in the doctrinal pronouncements it has issued from time to time， or in the great body of Canon law through which it functions。 These are merely texts which demand more or less continuous re-interpretation。 The stuff， the language， of ecclesial politics are interpretations of these documents and their previous interpretations。 And the real substance， the payoff， is not correctness of interpretation but the power to interpret， that is， to determine truth。 Hence the rapacity of the internal struggle for dominance。 Unlike commercial organisations， the Church is not subject to the disciplines of the market。 People don’t get axed for missing targets。 Ideas have absolute reign and can’t be verified by sales or profit figures。 And unlike other political organisations， there is no accountability to an electorate。 This means that individuals are free to conduct unrestricted guerrilla warfare against each other with more or less continuous palace intrigue。 Any pope， Francis included， is just a temporary dancer in the continuous political ballet， a member of the cast not the director。But there is a second and more fundamental reason for his impending failure。 Without its resolute insistence on ideas which can neither be verified or disproven， only expressed， the Catholic Church does not exist。 Its existence is these ideas， not， as Francis apparently thinks， the people who hold them。 The people who hold them are the problem。 They keep coming up with new interpretations of the ideas and fight among themselves continuously about whose interpretation is correct。 So has it always been。 The winners call the losers in these political struggles heretics， and themselves orthodox。Thus Francis’s populism is supported by those of ‘no fixed belief’ as it were， those who are unable to express anything about their belief except the belief itself， a kind of primordial tribal affiliation。 This is curious。 He downplays the ‘content’ of belief continuously in order to undermine the politics of the ‘true believers’ who know exactly what they believe and why。 While this is the only way to attack their power - ideas are the currency of power in the Church - it is also an evacuation of that which makes the Church the Church， namely ideas。 The paradox of Francis’s position is clear。 It is actually the fundamental paradox of Christianity itself。 As soon as those early followers of Jesus started promoting the truth of his ideas rather than the urgent necessity of his behaviour， the trajectory of the whole enterprise was determined。 It had to become ‘professional’ in order to articulate those ideas clearly。 It had to become hierarchical in order to protect the uniformity of those ideas。 And its leaders had to become ruthless in their prosecution of their interpretations of those ideas。So， while one can only wish Pope Francis ‘bonne chance’ on his great mission of saving the Church， one must also recognise that the only chance he has to do this is to destroy it。 Perhaps Francis is a saint after all。 。。。more
Bob
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Summary: An account of the papacy of Francis into 2019， focusing on his efforts to convert the Catholic Church to a church with Christ at the center showing compassion for those on the margins from one focused more on preservation of an institution， law， and doctrine。The first pope to come from Latin America has been both a breath of fresh air， and a lightning rod for controversy。 This biography focuses on Pope Francis， and how he handles controversy。 Ivereigh presents a pope utterly at peace wi Summary: An account of the papacy of Francis into 2019， focusing on his efforts to convert the Catholic Church to a church with Christ at the center showing compassion for those on the margins from one focused more on preservation of an institution， law， and doctrine。The first pope to come from Latin America has been both a breath of fresh air， and a lightning rod for controversy。 This biography focuses on Pope Francis， and how he handles controversy。 Ivereigh presents a pope utterly at peace with himself， shaped by Ignatian practices that center around the life and ministry of Christ。 Francis understands that controversy is necessary if he is to bring Christ to the center of a church that too often has been more concerned about self-protection--of the Vatican， of abusing priests， of law and theology。A frugal man， he cleans up the finances of the Vatican， turning a middleman appropriating funds for itself to a mediator， using the church's resources for the poor。 He instills serving into a clerical church， modeling it in the washing of a Muslim woman prisoner's feet。 Rather that fire people， he seeks their conversion， if possible （although resistant bishops are retired at 75）。 He releases a blockbuster encyclical， Laudato Si， connecting environmental concerns with justice for the poor。 As he wades into the sexual abuse scandals， he meets with the victims。 In a meeting with three Chileans， he begins， "I was part of the problem！ I caused this。 I am very sorry， and I ask your forgiveness。" One of the victims， a gay man， Juan Carlos Cruz described a lengthy meeting discussing his life， with Francis telling him， "Juan Carlos， it doesn't matter that you are gay。 God made you that way， and I'm fine with it。 The Pope loves you as you are， you have to be happy with who you are。"At the heart of all this is a passion for evangelization， recognizing that the Church is no longer in an era where it enjoys the support of law and culture。 Ivereigh helps us understand the roots of this vision at the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American Episcopal Council （CELAM） at Aparecida。 "Aparecida" becomes synonymous with the humble， loving， serving approach that enters the barrios。 It is not merely the conversions of the poor but the conversion of an institutional church into a priesthood of missionary disciples。One can see how controversy can swirl around such actions and how the pope's compassion toward Muslims， gays， and the divorced （for whom he provided ways to take communion） would arouse the ire of many。 What was striking in this account was how much of the opposition came from the church in the United States。 I found this a surprising turn， having often thought the church in US progressive in comparison with that in other parts of the world。 But this has changed。 Ivereigh chronicle the opposition faced from American cardinal Raymond Burke， among others， and the conservative Catholic movement in the US。It is clear that Ivereigh loves this pope， recounting numerous instances where he extends deep mercy and understanding to people。 He describes a pope who understands that to follow Christ is to share the wounds of Christ。 Living in the U。S。， I've seen more critique than praise of Francis。 This book redresses that balances and helps the reader understand the wellsprings of Francis's actions， particularly in his missionary efforts in Argentinian barrios。 Whether the reader agrees or not with the policies and programs of Francis， understanding his passion to put Christ at the heart of the Church stands as a challenge for us all。 Has something other than Christ been the focus of the lives of our churches， whether money， sex， or power？ Francis's papacy has addressed all three。 Little wonder that "wounded shepherd" describes him。 。。。more
Donald Curry
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Overwhelmingly Impresssive。。。Ivereigh’s summary of Pope Francis， primarily the years 2016-2019 years of his Papacy， but also including what formed the man to empower him to be so effective in those years， was， for me， spell binding。 Being somewhat of a church history biography junkie， I have not read a more moving text about how one person can change the course of Christian history and what goes into making that person。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to peer into and experience Overwhelmingly Impresssive。。。Ivereigh’s summary of Pope Francis， primarily the years 2016-2019 years of his Papacy， but also including what formed the man to empower him to be so effective in those years， was， for me， spell binding。 Being somewhat of a church history biography junkie， I have not read a more moving text about how one person can change the course of Christian history and what goes into making that person。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to peer into and experience the heart of Jesus through the heart of one of his leaders。 Austen accomplishes this in spades。 。。。more
Frodo
，
This work was a bit tedious because it is such a thoroughly researched effort to chronicle the impact of Pope Francis on the Catholic Church。 I really appreciate learning how much his emphasis on mercy and healing has renewed the hopes for reformation within the church。
Carl Nelson
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