Francis. The Successor

The pope breaks his silence on one of the most delicate moments for the Catholic Church in recent history: the coexistence of two pontiffs in the Vatican.  

Vatican scholar Javier Martínez-Brocal reconstructs and shares with us for the first time an unusual scenario: the coexistence, for almost a decade, of two popes, Benedict XVI and Francis. In an unprecedented way, the Pope speaks candidly not only about his relationship with his predecessor, but also about the conclaves in which he participated, the Vatileaks scandal, and the surprising provisions he has established for his own funeral. All of this is narrated in the form of a book-interview, allowing the reader to enter behind the scenes of Vatican tensions. The conversation between Martínez-Brocal and the pontiff reveals the only distance between the two popes was the way they each approached God. One from Theology and Religious Historiography, the other from Charity and active listening to the most disadvantaged. Two absolutely complementary and necessary legacies that find their fullness and place in today’s world in this dynamic dialogue. A book full of anecdotes, confidences and future decisions that will affect the Vatican and the future course of of the Catholic Church itself.