Let Us Start Afresh From Christ - Pope Leo: Taking Stock of a New Beginning

In the foreword, Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ introduces Pope Leo XI as a gentle leader who will continue in the style and direction of his predecessor.

With this framing, author Stefano Stimamiglio, then takes us on a biographical and spiritual journey starting with a modest midwestern beginning, an Augustinian education, years of missionary work in South America before a life of high responsibility in the Vatican.

Robert Prevost, Leo XVI, will forever be remembered as the first American pope but as the author shows, there is so much about his life that should also take our interest.

All popes face their historical challenges, but the new pontiff must lead his diverse flock through not just the uncertainties of the current world but into a hyper technological future that threatens to unsettle our traditional understanding of work, family formation, social justice even humanity itself.

THE AUTHOR BELIEVES LEO IS UP TO THE TASK. HE DEMONSTRATES THE POPE’S INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE THROUGH REFERENCES TO OFFICIAL SPEECHES, INTERVIEWS AND PERSONAL REFLECTIONS OF FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES.

Let Us Start Afresh from Christ is not just a biography of a new pope – it also offers a wider discussion on the future of Catholicism.