Pope Francis autobiography to be released in January

Pope Francis will release a memoir next January, in what has been described as the first autobiography to ever be published by a living pontiff.

Publisher Penguin Random House said in a statement that the book, entitled Hope, was originally intended to be published posthumously, but that 'the new Jubilee of Hope announced for 2025, and the needs of our times, have moved him to make this precious legacy available now'.

Hope, which took six years to write, tells Pope Francis's life story, from childhood and adolescence to his choice of vocation, covering the whole of his papacy up to the present day.

The book will also offer The Pope's thoughts on 'some of the most important and controversial questions of our present times', amongst them migration, environmental crisis, social policy, the position of women, sexuality, technological developments, the future of the Church and religion in general, and the challenges that will face the future of humanity.

It also promises to address the escalating hostilities enveloping the world today, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

In a statement, publishers Daniel Crewe and Shyam Kumar said: "We were amazed by the vividness and intimacy of his writing which reflects on controversial questions from global conflicts to the future of the Church, as well as discussing his passions from football to tango. This will be an extraordinary global publication and a wonderful book for believers and non-believers alike."

Pope Francis says: "The book of my life is the story of a journey of hope, a journey that I cannot separate from the journey of my family, of my people, of all God's people. 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.

Hope will published globally in 80 countries on 14 January, 2025, including by Viking in Ireland.