Pope Francis private journal revealed: Vatican to publish 30 years of his personal notes

Pope Francis greets the faithful as he arrives for his weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square on September 25, 2019 in the Vatican. — AFP pic

First Published: Tuesday, 06 Oct 2026 9:00 AM MYT

VATICAN CITY, Oct 6 — A private diary of personal notes kept by Pope Francis for more than 30 years will be released on November 24 in 94 countries, his publishers announced Monday.

Presented by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernandez, a close collaborator of the Argentine pontiff, the book, entitled “The Spiritual Diary of Pope Francis,” compiles writings which the late Jorge Mario Bergoglio penned between December 20, 1992, and August 18, 2024.

The Vatican hailed a text “of exceptional value and importance” that it said would shine a light on the personality of the first Latin American pontiff, who led the Roman Catholic Church from March 13, 2013, until his death on April 21, 2025.

The 144-page book will be released in five languages and 94 countries from November 24.

It will be published in Italian by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, in Spanish, English and Portuguese by Penguin Random House, and in French from November 25 by Albin Michel.

Albin Michel president Gilles Haeri said the work was “very personal” in nature and followed in the same vein in as his autobiography, “Hope,” the first published by a sitting pope, which came out weeks before his death. — AFP