Pray for Me: The Life and Teachings of Pope Francis

On March 13, 2013, in Rome, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was elected pope. As he stepped onto the balcony, and overlooked the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, he made a humble and unexpected gesture. Before offering the traditional apostolic blessing, he greeted the faithful with a request, “Pray for me.”

This simple appeal set a beautiful precedent for his papacy and was the inspiration behind the title for a new book on his life — Pray for Me: The Life and Spiritual Vision of Pope Francis, First Pope From the Americas (Image Books, April 30, 2013) by Dr. Robert Moynihan, founder and editor of Inside the Vatican magazine.

In Pray for Me, Moynihan offers a three-part introduction to the life and teachings of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was chosen by the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church to be the 266th successor of the Apostle Peter.

In Part One, Moynihan provides a firsthand account of the first two weeks of Pope Francis’ papacy, capturing the historical moments of those early days — his first Angelus, his first Wednesday audience, his inauguration Mass — as they happened.

Part Two is a brief biography, providing context for understanding Pope Francis’ origins: from his youth to his election as Pope at the age of seventy-six. This part offers insight into the spiritual influence behind actions taken during his years as a Jesuit priest and later as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Part Three is titled “In His Own Words” and is a collection of Pope Francis’ thoughts on various theological and philosophical topics. Taken from homilies, interviews and public addresses, this section gives readers an insight into the spiritual vision of the new pontiff with a look at his most inspirational teachings on God, prayer, marriage and family, religious freedom, and more.

In the introduction, Moynihan writes that the central purpose of the book is to offer “readers an opportunity to journey alongside this new pope, not only by walking with him in the first days of his papacy, but also by allowing readers to experience the soul of this man, his strength, passion, and tenderness.”

Speaking to the significance of the title, Moynihan writes “This book is intended to help those who are responding to the first request made by this pope to all of us, a simple request, from his heart: ‘Pray for me.’”