A new free book titled “Legado de Francisco a la Iglesia y a la Vida Religiosa” (“Legacy of Francis to the Church and to Religious Life”) is now available online, aiming to preserve and reflect on the pastoral, spiritual, and social legacy of Pope Francis. The collection features essays by academics and religious figures from across Latin America, written primarily in Spanish, with one essay on the Amazon region in Portuguese.
Published by the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Men and Women Religious (CLAR), the book was released on the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, April 26, 2025, just days after the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death on April 21, 2025, at age 88.
In the introduction, Father Israel Arévalo Muñoz, deputy secretary of CLAR, explains that the volume brings together diverse perspectives on “the pastoral, political, spiritual, and ecological imprint that Pope Francis has left on the Church and on society.”
The book is divided into four sections: “Spirituality and New Humanism,” “Theological-Pastoral Horizons,” “Francis’ Challenges to Religious Life,” and “Francis and the World’s Socio-Environmental and Political Challenges.”
Twenty-one authors from various ecclesial and academic backgrounds contributed, including laypeople, women religious, and priests from congregations such as the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, the Society of Jesus, and the Order of Preachers. The prologue was written by Cardinal Ángel Rossi, SJ, Archbishop of Córdoba, Argentina, described as a “spiritual son” of Francis.
Arévalo notes that a central theme is how Pope Francis’ leadership was grounded “in prayer, listening to the Spirit, and the conviction that the Gospel must once again become the center of ecclesial life.” He also highlights the pope’s call for “profound ecclesial reform, grounded in transparency, co-responsibility, and pastoral conversion.”
Regarding evangelization, the priest underscores Francis’ style marked by “closeness, service, simplicity, and a commitment to the poor and marginalized,” promoting a Church that is “Samaritan, missionary, and present in the geographical, social, and existential peripheries.”
Arévalo expressed hope the book would inspire civil society, the Church, and religious life to “embody a coherent, prophetic, and compassionate leadership” and motivate Catholics to work toward “a culture of encounter, interreligious dialogue, respect for diversity, and the pursuit of unity amid differences.”
The book can be downloaded free of charge here.
