The Francis Effect

No one expected the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, to be elected pontiff last March. But in the months since, Pope Francis has become one of the most talked-about people in the world. As Toronto Star journalist and longtime Vatican watcher Sandro Contenta writes in his new ebook, The Francis Effect: How the Pope is Changing the Catholic Church, this down-to-earth pontiff has generated an exciting sense of renewal. Many lapsed Catholics are finding their way back to Sunday mass. Contenta cautions that Francis won’t change church doctrines. But his call for merciful priests who take to the streets and work for the poor could result in a radically different Church. Read his ebook to find out what Francis is changing, and what will likely stay the same.

Star Dispatches is a weekly series of quality journalism in ebook form from the newsroom of the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper.