The Church of Mercy by Pope Francis
The Church of Mercy is a collection of speeches, sermons and papers given by Pope Francis during the first year of his papacy that reflect the themes that have made Francis so popular even among non-Catholics: selfless service, fighting injustice, bringing hope to the downtrodden and remaking the Church into a force for good after tumultuous years of scandal.
The Pope's popularity has translated into impressive sales numbers for the book: The Church of Mercy has sold more than 100,000 copies since its release in April 2014. The book also has the Vatican's approval. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican's publishing house, owns the copyright, which functions as a type of imprimatur, attesting that the book adheres to Catholic teachings, which some Catholics need before they'll buy a religious book.
The book will get another boost later this year, when the next extraordinary jubilee year, which occurs once every 25-50 years, begins December 8. Coincidentally, this year's theme is mercy and its many manifestations, making The Church of Mercy Loyola's go-to jubilee title.
Published by Loyola Press in April, Walking with Jesus: A Way Forward for the Church, another collection by Pope Francis, explores how to implement the teachings from Church of Mercy as individuals and communities.
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Pope Francis: Life and Revolution: A Biography of Jorge Bergoglio by Elisabetta Piqué
Journalist Elisabetta Piqué has been the Vatican correspondent for the Argentinan newspaper La Nación since 1999 and a friend of Pope Francis since 2001, who was then known simply as Padre Jorge. He even baptized her children.
Relying on more than 75 interviews conducted with lay people and Church officials as well as her insider's perspective, Piqué wrote Pope Francis: Life and Revolution: A Biography of Jorge Bergoglio, a bestseller in her native Argentina and first published in 2013. The book explores the man who would become pope and reveals some of the behind-the-scenes politics that allowed his unlikely ascension to the papacy. She portrays Pope Francis as at once complex and simple, a humble holy servant and effective leader whose popular progressive principles stem from a lifetime of selfless work.
Published last year in the U.S., Loyola's English edition is an expanded version and includes a foreword by Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley.
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Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads by Chris Lowney
Chris Lowney, author of the bestseller Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World, was a Jesuit seminarian before he left for a different kind of calling and became managing director for J.P. Morgan Chase. During his financial career, however, Lowney never forgot the lessons he learned as a Jesuit. He found in Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, an admirable leadership style echoing their shared religious backgrounds.
In Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads, Lowney outlines his theory of Jesuit leadership traits as exemplified in Pope Francis. From washing the feet of young inmates to forgoing the papal palace in favor of a small apartment, Francis puts to practice his message of service, hope and help for the poor. Leading by example is just one of the lessons Pope Francis can teach us about leadership. Lowney's book was published by Loyola in 2013. --Tobias Mutter