Five revelations Pope Francis make for im autobiography wey e call 'Hope'

Jorge Mario Bergoglio no be di first Pope from Latin America, but na di first since di 15th century to publish autobiography wen e still dey office.

In fact, "Hope: The Autobiography" bin dey intended to dey published afta im death, but Francis decide to release am dis January.

Few weeks later, dem admit Francis to Rome Gemelli Hospital for a respiratory infection wey bin lead to oda health complications.

And although e remain for hospital, dis Thursday e celebrate im 12th anniversary as pope for stable condition. One recent chest CT scan even confam improvements of im condition.

"Autobiography no be our private literature, but rather our travel bag. And memory no be only wetin we remember, but also wetin surround us," Francisco tok for im book.

Di text dey based on more dan six years of conversations between Francis and Italian journalist Carlo Musso.

For dia, e remember di memories of im youth for Buenos Aires, share im reflections on topics such as migration, and tok about im life as Pope.

"On evri page, for evri step, e also get di book of dose wey don walk wit me, dose wey don come bifor me, and dose wey go follow us," e add.

Dis na are some of di most notable interesting stories and reflections from "Hope".

1. Di sinking of di ship

Francisco story begin wit a shipwreck.

Nine years bifor im birth, on October 11, 1927, im papa, Mario José Bergoglio, bin purchase tickets to travel from Genoa to Buenos Aires wit im parents by boat.

But dat day Mario and im family no board di boat.

Dem bin no quick sell di furniture for dia house wey dem dey leave behind to go settle for anoda kontri. So dem bin decide to return di tickets and postpone dia travel to Argentina.

Few days later, while di Bergoglio family still dey for Italy, lightning strike di big ship Principessa Mafalda as e dey cross di Atlantic, and di accident bin end wit di sinking of di vessel.

Di tragedy kill at least 300 pipo, according to di Pope autobiography.

"Na why I dey here now," e tok as e reflect on di incident.

Finally, two years later, Bergoglio papa bin arrive for Buenos Aires, wia dem be dey registered as "overseas immigrants".

"No be new tori; as e be yesterday, naso e be today," Francisco comment na about di reason why pipo from di 1900 and today dey leave dia kontris in search of beta conditions.

Dat na why, afta many years, on im first trip as pontiff outside di Vatican, Francis bin travel to Lampedusa, di Mediterranean island wey don become symbol of migration.

"E dey urgent to adopt measures to guarantee di right to emigrate," e tok.

2. Di extra ballot

Francis bin no expect to dey elected as di highest spiritual leader of di Catholic Church for 2013.

At most, im bin believe say as Latin American cardinal, e fit get some of di votes.

For di pre-conclave meeting, di applause wey di Argentine receive shock am afta im deliver one short speech.

"Well, we need pesin to do dose tins," one of di cardinals tell am afta e listen to am.

"Yes, but wia you go find am?" Bergoglio reply.

–In you.

–Hahaha! Yeah, sure, fine, go ahead, see you later.

Di future Pope bin take dat comment as joke.

Di conclave begin for March 12, 2013.

Bergoglio arrive for Santa Marta wit one suitcase wey contain two tunics and little else. Im bin leave di rest of im tins for Buenos Aires, a city wey e neva return to afta dem elect am as Pope.

Di first night of di conclave bin end witout consensus.

Di following morning, on March 13, a second and third ballot happun wit little success, di two candidates no secure majority of 77 wey dey needed out of 115 votes.

For di middle of di recess wey lead up to a fifth vote, one Latin American cardinal tell Bergoglio:

–Shey you don prepare your speech? Prepare am well.

"Which speech you dey tok about?" Bergoglio ask.

"Di one you gatz deliver from di balcony!" di cardinal respond, referring to di new Pope first speech.

"Dis na anoda joke?" Bergoglio ask imsef, as e no understand wetin dey go on.

For di fourth round of voting, di Argentine bin receive 69 votes. But dat bin no dey enough.

Di fifth round of voting bin create unexpected problem: extra ballot bin dey. Pesin bin put two pieces of cardboard togeda, so dem gatz burn all of dem and repeat di process.

Na for dat second round of di fifth round of voting dem hear di surname Bergoglio more dan 77 times.

"I no know exactly how many votes dey at di end; I no fit hear dem anymore; di noise overshadow di scrutiniser voice," Francisco tok.

"Shey you accept di canonical election of di Supreme Pontiff?" Cardinal Re bin ask am.

"I accept," Bergoglio reply.

Twelve years later, e admit: "I feel at peace, calm."

Den dem bin load di cartridges wit white smoke, wey rise from di chimney of di Sistine Chapel as night fall.

3. Di white box

Bergoglio election dey come afta di resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, di first pontiff in nearly 600 years to step down sake of health problems.

For di beginning of im pontificate, Benedict bin hand Francis one "large white box."

"Evritin dey here. Di records of di most difficult and painful situations, di abuses, di cases of corruption, di dark passages, di misdeeds," Francis tok say Benedict, wey die for December 2022, tell am.

"I don come dis far, I don take dis measures, I don remove dis pipo. Now na your turn," Benedict add, according to Francis.

For di book, di Pope define im predecessor as "father and brother" wey im get "authentic and correct relationship, beyond any legend constructed by dose wey don insist to tell different tori".

Beyond dis and general comments, e no specify inside di book di contents of di box or tok about any particular case.

4. Di double attack

Pope Francis bin travel to Iraq. Di Pope bin go to di city of Najaf, wey dey considered as di historical and spiritual centre of Shia Islam, to meet with Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani.

Di Holy See bin dey prepare for di meeting for years, and e dey considered as milestone in interreligious dialogue. But di risks wey dey associated wit di Pope safety, amid di ongoing violence between Shia and Sunni Muslims, dey veri high, according to di Vatican.

"Almost evri one bin advise me against dat trip, wey go be di first trip by a Pope to dat kontri for di Middle East wey extremist violence and jihadist don scata," Francis write for im autobiography.

"But I bin wan see am through to di end. I bin feel say I gatz do am," e add.

Di Christian population for Iraq dey estimated at less dan 250,000, a dramatic drop from di 1.4 million bifor di U.S. invasion for 2003, according to one 2019 State Department report.

Afta im land for Baghdad, di Vatican Gendarmerie bin inform Francis say di British secret services bin prevent two suicide bombing attempts against am.

One bin involve one woman wey bin carry explosives and dey head to Mosul to blow hersef up during di papal visit.

Di oda one bin involve one pickup truck wey bin speed off wit di intention of exploding en route.

Francisco den ask how dem dismantle both threats.

"Di commander bin respond laconically: 'Dem no longer exist,'" Francisco tok. "Di Iraqi police bin intercept and detonate dem."

"Dat one also shock me. Na anoda poisoned fruit of war," e tok.

5. Di relationship with Borges

For im autobiography, Francisco remember di time im bin meet di Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.

At di time, Bergoglio na 27 years old and professor of literature and psychology at di Immaculate Conception School for di province of Santa Fe, for central Argentina, wia im bin teach creative writing course.

Borges secretary na Bergoglio piano teacher, so she decide to send di writer two stories wey im student write.

At dat time, Bergoglio na notin more dan a religious figure, and Borges don already dey among di most renowned Latin American writers of di 20th century.

Borges like di two stories and suggest say make dem publish dem in form of book and offer to write di prologue: "Dis prologue no be only for dis book, but for each of di still undefined possible series of works dat di young pipo wey gada here fit write for future," Bergoglio quote Borges.

E den invite am to teach am few classes on wetin dey known for Argentina as "gaucho literature."

"And e accept; e fit tok about anytin, and e neva put on airs. At 66, e board a bus and make eight-hour trip from Buenos Aires to Santa Fe," di Pope, wey identify imsef as lover of reading and passionate about teaching, tok.

"On one of dose occasions, we bin arrive late becos, wen I go pick am up at di hotel, e ask me to help am shave," e explain.

"[Borges] na agnostic wey bin pray di Lord Prayer evri night becos e bin promise im mama, and bifor e die e receive di sacraments," Francisco tok about di writer wey die for 1986.

And e add: "I greatly admire and esteem Borges. I bin dey impressed by di seriousness and dignity wey im take live im life. Im na veri wise and profound man."