Pope Francis will become the first-ever sitting pope to publish a book. Publisher Penguin Random House announced Wednesday that Francis’ autobiography will be published early next year in January instead of upon his death as originally planned. Titled Hope, Francis has reportedly been working on the book for the last six years with Italian publisher Carlo Musso. In addition to recounting his upbringing, Italian roots and how his ancestors immigrated to Latin America, Hope will also cover his adult life, his vocation, adult life and calling to the papacy. According to Penguin Random House, the book arrives just in time to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee—a time dedicated to forgiveness, renewal and spirituality. “In recounting his memories with intimate narrative force and reflecting on his own personal passions, Pope Francis deals unsparingly with some of the crucial moments of his papacy and writes candidly, courageously, and prophetically about some of the most important and controversial questions of our present times,” said Penguin Random House in a statement. “In every page, in every passage, it is also the book of those who have travelled with me, of those who came before, of those who will follow,” said Pope Francis about the project. “An autobiography is not our own private story, but rather the baggage we carry with us. And memory is not just what we recall, but what surrounds us. It doesn’t speak only about what has been, but about what will be.”
