A fresh look at a complex pope with a simple agenda: radically reforming the Catholic Church.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the consummate disruptor, disrupting archaic modes of church governance, disrupting our collective spiritual complacency in the face of new challenges to our human flourishing while at the same time remaining deeply faithful to the organic traditions of the church. He is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but beyond that he is a universal leader with commanding moral presence, able to connect with laypeople and with non-Christian faiths. Pope Francis is also a credible moral voice on issues of immigration, economic inequity, the devastating consequences of political populism, and the accelerating threats to the environment, in spite of the fact that he faces deep infrastructure and governance scandals in his organization.

In his determination to reform the Vatican and ensure the Catholic faith evolves in a way that is relevant to the 21st century, Francis is very much carrying on the tradition of the Jesuits, an order known for their work in education, humanitarian missions, and social justice. A deep understanding of the Jesuit order informs Michael W. Higgins’s approach in this novel reading of a papacy unlike any other.

MICHAEL W. HIGGINS is President and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus, St. Jerome’s University in the University of Waterloo; Basilian Distinguished Fellow in Contemporary Catholic Thought, St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto; and Distinguished Professor of Catholic Thought Emeritus, Sacred Heart University, Connecticut. He writes on Vatican affairs for the Globe and Mail, served as chief consultant of Sir Peter Ustinov’s Inside the Vatican television series, and was co-author of the best-selling Power and Peril: The Catholic Church at the Crossroads. He lives in Guelph, Ontario.

Michael W. Higgins' profile page

“Filled with vignettes and details revealing Higgins’s insider view of life at the Vatican, [The Jesuit Disruptor] often has the friendly and joyous feel of someone talking about a dear friend.” — Library Journal (STARRED Review)

“A distinct interpretation of Francis’ pontificate … A creative and personalized sense of Francis’ vision for Catholics and for the world.” — Winnipeg Free Press

“A thorough and erudite discussion of this turbulent moment for the Catholic Church.” — Literary Review of Canada

“The Jesuit Disruptor serves as a robust counterbalance to the biographies critical of the Argentinian pontiff … The book offers a refreshing note of optimism.” — National Catholic Reporter