My Door is Always Open is the complete and definitive set of interviews between Pope Francis and Jesuit priest Antonio Spadaro.
In the summer of 2013, Pope Francis gave three extended interviews to Spadaro, the head of La Civilta Cattolica (Catholic Civilisation), a Catholic periodical based in Rome, in which he spoke at length about his background, his Faith, and his vision for the Roman Catholic Church. Here, at last, is the complete collection of the interviews with a full commentary by Spadaro, the interlocutor and commentator.
In this compelling and engrossing dialogue, Antonio Spadaro introduces a Pope of great intellect and intelligence, who for the first time gives a rounded and substantial account of where he may lead the Roman Catholic Church in the years to come. Insightful and sincere, Pope Francis expounds upon the contemporary issues facing the Church, including the role of women and his experiences at the heart of Church governance, and he and Spadaro discuss at length the major issues facing religion around the world.
Including accounts of Pope Francis' visit to Brazil for World Youth Week, My Door is Always Open is the first book written by the Pope since he was elected and is the most convincing and persuasive guide to Pope Francis's vision as one of the most charismatic figures of our time.
I had a hard time rating this until I reminded myself I was rating the book not the Pope. The Pope's part in the book is brilliant and I genuinely loved reading his words. The author's part was more problematic for me. Spadaro took on the roles of both interviewer and interpreter of the Pope's message, and I found his explanations to be denser and wordier than the Pope's original words. His desire to expound and explain the Pope's message came from a sincere and heartfelt place, and I often got the impression it was his way of re-experiencing these interviews, but I also could not get the word 'mansplaining' out of my head, which is probably unfair, but there it is. Eventually, I just skipped his sections of analysis and just focused on Pope Francis' words. Ultimately, this made a huge difference for me, and I was unable to put the book down.
Definitely a work meant for a select demographic, but worth the time.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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15 November, 2017:
Finished reading
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15 November, 2017:
Reviewed