Nachdem ich kurz vorher "Leben" von Papst Franziskus gelesen hatte, war dann dieses (viel bekanntere Buch) an der Reihe. Neben sehr detaillierten, klassisch autobiographischen Schilderungen der Leben seiner Vorfahren und seiner engsten Familie haben natürlich zahlreiche theologische und gesellschaftliche Themen einen gewichtigen Platz in diesem Buch. Die Geschichte der unzähligen Auswanderer aus Europa, die in Südamerika ein neues, lebenswertes Leben gesucht haben, ist gewaltig im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. Und die Jahre der Diktatur, in denen Franziskus Leid, Ungerechtigkeit, Brutalität und Kampf mit tausenden Menschen gemeinsam durchstehen musste, sind an Wahnsinn kaum zu überbieten und eine immerwährende Wunde für alle in Argentinien. Daneben stehen die Liebe, die er vor allem in seiner Familie erfährt, und sein Glaube, der ihn trägt und hält. Und auch daraus erwachsen Visionen für eine Kirche, die sich wirklich zuallererst um die Armen kümmert. Für mich hatte das Buch einige Längen, was aber daran liegen kann, dass ich schon zwei Filme über ihn gesehen und eben ein anderes Buch gelesen habe. Somit war vieles nicht mehr neu für mich und dann zu detailreich. Was ich aber grundsätzlich an solchen Büchern mag (und allen empfehlen kann): Argumente für Einstellungen, die man definitiv nicht teilt, auf sich wirken lassen, verstehen, auch die Genese dieser ergründen, und sie als anders, aber wertvoll annehmen.

the day has come; i‘m done with pope francis‘ autobiography. it‘s a sad day and i don‘t feel too well to talk in length why. this book was guided for me to find it and read it during that time. books do that to me quite frequently. it started with the movie conclave which i saw twice, then i watched two popes on netflix and then visited rome. some weeks after my once in a lifetime visit, the pope died. and then i learned about him: his support for gaza, for transgender people, for lgbtqi, for women in christianity, against child abuse in the church, for migrants and climate change. i decided to buy his book and read one chapter every evening. it healed something in me. francis to me is holy, he is an example of what a human should be. he washes and kisses prisoners feet, he gave up all his belongings to prisoners, he made places to stay for homeless people in turning a church into a stay, he is unlike anyone i know or have read from that exists today. he is an idol to me, an example of who we should all strive to be. of course he is a catholic and is against abortion, hates feminism etc. but i believe and almost know he means well. he tries his hardest. and the way he talks about god changed my perspective on god. he talks about him as someone whos human, who knows him. not like a high-up-figure which has an authority. he talks about god as his father, his comforter, the one who is always there and knows him inside out. and this calms me. hearing the pope talk like that had an effect on me. seeing him live the way he lived inspired me. it touched me deeply. pope francis is kind, he is innocent, he has no bad intentions and he is too much like you and i that it shocked me sometimes. it made me cry when he tripped over his feet because his new pope costume was too long. it made me cry when he told god he wanted a painless death since god knows how bad he is with pain. it made me cry that pope francis died after easter peaceful in his sleep. he was a good person with a pure heart and that‘s what he deserves. and this gives me peace. i talk to pope francis now sometimes. i feel like he would like to know that he inspired someone as young as i am, who has left church, to lead a life trying to come close as to what he did. thank you pope francis for all that you are and all that you did. it truly impacted so many people. btw its not lost on me that this book has exactly 25 chapters. universe i see you.