Shortly after seven in the morning, Pope Francis would give a brief homily in the little Vatican chapel of Saint Martha, in front of an audience that was always different: gardeners, office workers, nuns, priests, and journalists. It was a set appointment, and in some ways a revolutionary innovation, where a pope speaks to everyone, off the cuff, without any written text, as he would have done as a parish priest.
Encountering Truth is a collection of highlights from these homilies. Along with summaries by Radio Vaticana (who recorded and transcribed the homilies) and commentary by Father Antonio Spadaro, SJ, these reflections provide moments of inspiration, simplicity, and a glimpse into the papal world very few ever get to experience.
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Pope Francis
Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, son of Italian migrants, the first of five children born in the working-class barrio of Flores. He qualified as a chemical technician, graduated in philosophy in 1963, became a priest in 1969, joined the provincial of the Jesuits of Argentina in 1973, was named auxiliary bishop in 1992, archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, created cardinal in 2001, and on March 13, 2013, Bishop of Rome and the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. For 2025, the twelfth year of his papacy, Pope Francis announced a new Jubilee with the motto “Pilgrims of Hope.” The first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff, he passed away on April 21, 2025.
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