It is 2055, and thereâs a new pope. Itâs Jessica Simon, an American, a wife and a mother. Sheâs taken the name Francesca. A lifelong advocate for the poor, she believes the Catholic Church must return to Jesusâ teachings and bring God to life in the world. But powerful forces are aligned against her. They see Francesca as a threat. Some will stop at nothing to stop her. Will Pope Francesca survive? Will she succeed in reforming the Church? In an hour of darkness, can she rekindle the light?
It is 2055, and thereâs a new pope. Itâs Jessica Simon, an American, a wife and a mother. Sheâs taken the name Francesca. A lifelong advocate for the poor, she believes the Catholic Church must return to Jesusâ teachings and bring God to life in the world. But powerful forces are aligned against her. They see Francesca as a threat. Some will stop at nothing to stop her. Will Pope Francesca survive? Will she succeed in reforming the Church? In an hour of darkness, can she rekindle the light?
May 2055
Rays of the rising sun hit the Egyptian obelisk in the center of St. Peterâs Square, casting a long, thin shadow, pointing like a finger toward the Basilica. Â
Twelve hours earlier, a newly elected pope had appeared briefly on the balcony. Now the new pontiff was about to hold a news conference, the first ever at the Vatican. Everyone was eager to learn more about this improbable new leader of the worldâs two billion Catholics.
Reporters jockeyed for seats or spots to stand. Their cameras, microphones and lights stood in stark contrast with the fourteenth-century, frescoed room.
At 8:00 sharp, with no introduction, the pope entered the room and stepped up to the podium, scanning the curious faces of those gathered and smiling.
âGood morning, everyone,â she said with a slight Missouri drawl.
Francesca is a moving, thoughtful story about the life of Jessica Simon, and how she came to be the first female pope. The plot is rather tense and high stakes, but the story is bathed in such a warm glow, that the tone overtakes and it makes for an engaging, cozy read. As much as Francesca is the story of one woman, it is also a story of understanding what it means to follow God in a challenging world. We meet Jessica just as she has been appointed pope, but we learn about the ways she navigated the world throughout her life. We watch her grapple with being a young mother with ambition and a promising career, who continues to have questions about whether sheâs making the right personal and professional decisions once she has become pope.
More than anything, Francesca feels like a modern day story of a saint. The story of her life feels as regular as it feels extraordinary - we meet her impossibly kind and supportive parents, who also grapple with balancing their work and time with their children; we watch her overcome great loss, but not before we see her descend into depths of grief and darkness; we watch as Jessica rises meteorically as a professional within and outside the church, but we also see that she seeks the guidance and wisdom of mentors and elders throughout. When stripped to the bones, her story reads like the familiar plot of the life of a saint - inhuman strength of character and acts of grace that shape the course of her life. Reading it the way Tassone tells it, however, we see that there is also doubt, mentorship, hard work and difficult sacrifice alongside the undeniable acts of grace that define her life. Itâs a story that makes the reader reconsider saints as people, and people as saints.
A key part of the book is the dissonance within the Catholic church between progressive and ultraconervative systems of belief. The only place that Francesca comes up lacking is in providing nuanced representation of the conservative perspective. We see shows of power, control and the desire to resist change, but without any clarity on the beliefs that underlie that fear and resistance.
Overall, Tassoneâs writing is clean and impeccable, allowing the reader to immerse into the plot without distraction. The story itself is refreshingly hopeful, bringing to clear light the Catholic principles of love and service. Tassone doesnât shy away from some of the dark corners of the Catholic churchâs legacy, but he also chooses to shine a light on the charity, love and kindness that the church is defined by.