Sex, drugs or chastity?
Pope Francis has written the first memoir by a sitting pope. God help us
His Holiness Pope Francis—the 266th bishop of Rome, supreme pontiff of the Universal Church, sovereign of the Vatican City State—is a man with fancy titles, a simple soul and simpler prose. He likes punctuality (“I like punctuality”), does not feel worthy (“I feel unworthy”) and thinks war is stupid (“War is stupid”).
Explore more
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The good, the bad and the boring”
Culture January 25th 2025
More from Culture
Backpacks are, surprisingly, in vogue
They are following in sneakers’ path and becoming more fashionable
Spotify’s playlists have altered the music industry in unexpected ways
A critical assessment of the Swedish streaming giant’s musical legacy
Henri Bergson was once the world’s most famous philosopher
He sought to reconcile science and metaphysics
Witty and wise, “A Real Pain” is a masterpiece in a minor key
Jesse Eisenberg’s deceptively slight film asks big moral questions
Now it’s all about TikTok. But Huawei led the way
The Chinese telecoms firm was the first to raise America’s hackles
Want to spend time with a different American president?
Five presidential biographies to distract you from the news