On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the 21st Century

• On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the 21st Century
• An introduction to Pope Francis's thoughts on religion, reason, and world challenges
• Easy to read and inspiring
• An eye-opening book

The man who became Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) shares his thoughts on religion, reason, and the challenges the world faces in the 21st century with Abraham Skorka, a rabbi and biophysicist. The first English-language edition of On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family and the Church in the 21st Century by Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who last week was elected Pope Francis.  

Pope Francis, is the first Latin American to be elected to the chair of Peter. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was ordained as a priest in 1969. He served as head of the Society of Jesus in Argentina from 1973 to 1979. In 1998 he became the archbishop of Buenos Aires, and in 2001 a cardinal.

Written with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, Rector of the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, On Heaven and Earth  records seminal discussions from numerous hours of conversations between the two religious leaders, and addresses such topics as God, fundamentalism, atheism, the Holocaust, abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, and globalization. A revisiting of these conversations is particularly relevant at the onset of Pope Francis’ pontificate, as they offer a unique look at his commitment to strengthening interreligious relations through participation in a respectful dialogue on theological and worldly issues.

From these talks comes a first-hand view of the man who became leader to 1.2 billion Catholics around the world in March 2013, Pope Francis.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, newly Pope Francis, has not published a book in the United States, so this book serves as his introduction to American audiences.

Interfaith dialogue: This conversation between a priest and a rabbi should resonate with a wide readership--not only Catholics, but those interested in exploring ecumenical bridge-building--including fans of such authors as Elaine Pagels and Karen Armstrong.

Following the resignation of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, February 28, 2013, the conclave elected Bergoglio, who chose the papal name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Abraham Skorka is an Argentine rabbi and biophysicist. He is rector of the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, the rabbi of the Jewish community Benei Tikva, and a professor of biblical and rabbinic literature at the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano.