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Clarion University political science professor Thomas Rourke, Ph.D., has written a book about the theological, political and cultural roots of Pope Francis's social thought.
Rourke will be giving a presentation on the book at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, in 250-252 Gemmell Student Complex. The presentation is open to the public.
The heavily researched book, "The Roots of Pope Francis's Social and Political Thought, From Argentina to the Vatican," has been given the stamp of approval from the pope's personal biographer, Elisabetta Piqué, who is a Vatican correspondent.
Piqué said the book "provides a broad historical, social, political and theological context for understanding Pope Francis's vision and teaching...drawing from many sources not accessible in English."
Rourke, who has never met the pope, used the pope's own writings and discourses to shape the book.
The book explores the deepest roots of Pope Francis's thinking including Jesuit missions in the 1500-1700s and how the success and failures of missions in that time period would go on to shape his future thoughts.
Rourke said the book also touches on the pope's thoughts on culture, politics and economics.
The decision to write the book was due in part to Rourke's background in theology and his familiarity with the pope's native country of Argentina.
Rourke said he's been to Argentina 20 times and was there during the pope's service in the 90s.
"I liked him already and knew a great deal about him before he became the pope," Rourke said.
The book also touches on the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI's writings, the 1970s and 1980s – which Rourke calls a turbulent time in Latin America, the 1990s and present time.
Thomas Massaro, S.J. dean of theology at Santa Clara University said the book provides a "much wider lens for viewing (Pope Francis) and draws from extensive knowledge of the culture, politics and even the literary heritage of Argentina."
Rourke said he hopes after people read the book they will discover "a distinctiveness
of the Pope's actual thinking."
The book is for sale on Amazon and on the Rowman & Littlefield Publishers' website
at www.rowman.com.