Pope Francis is a far more complex man than early biographies have suggested. He is no picture-book saint but a very human priest, one wracked by doubt, who struggled to be a true witness of his faith. In circumstances he neither sought nor foresaw Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio was handed the highest office at a time of institutional crisis, not just for the Catholic Church but long-established institutions worldwide.

In this ground-breaking biography, award-winning writer Jimmy Burns examines Bergoglio's childhood and formation as a priest, and the extent to which both his religious orthodoxy and social conscience were forged against the dramatic backdrop of Argentina's turbulent politics and challenging principles he adopted as a member of the Jesuit order. Burns questions Bergoglio's moral standing during the Argentina military junta's 'Dirty War' against political dissidents, appraises the transformation that took place when Bergoglio was made a bishop and sheds light on Pope Francis's first years of facing down intrigue and corruption in pursuing a programme of reform for the Vatican.

The Pope of Good Promise interweaves Jimmy Burns' moving personal journey - part spiritual, part investigative - with the main narrative in search of the true subject behind the public image.

'Francis is blessed with an unusually well-qualified biographer. . . Burns has an instinctive feel for the context of his subject's life and vocation that serves well both subject and reader.' Independent Catholic News

'captivating' Literary Review

'a well-researched, carefully crafted exploration of a complex, sometimes enigmatic, pope.' Catholic Herald