Pope Francis Private Diary
Vatican Announces Worldwide Publication of Pope Francis's Private Diary Covering 1992 to 2024
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Key Points
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The 144-page diary covers entries from Dec. 20, 1992, to Aug. 18, 2024; its final entry was written about eight months before Francis’s death.
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The diary’s dates span Bergoglio’s time as auxiliary bishop and archbishop of Buenos Aires, his 2001 appointment as cardinal, and the first 11 years of his papacy.
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The publisher describes the entries as revealing Bergoglio’s “hopes and fears, struggles and prayers”; Penguin Random House’s Campbell Wharton said readers would gain insight into key periods of Francis’s spiritual life.
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Although the book is announced for Nov. 24, the French edition from Albin Michel is scheduled to appear a day later, on Nov. 25.
The Vatican will release Pope Francis's private diary worldwide on November 24, 2026, offering an intimate look at the late pontiff's spiritual life. IJR reports the 144-page diary spans from December 1992 to August 2024—eight months before Francis died in April 2025. The book will come out in five languages across 94 countries, with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, a close aide to Francis, compiling and annotating the entries.
The diary covers Francis's years as an auxiliary bishop and archbishop in Buenos Aires, his 2001 appointment as cardinal, and his first 11 years as pope. PBS reports readers will gain insight into "hopes and fears, struggles and prayers" from key moments in Francis's spiritual journey. Different publishers handle different editions: the Vatican Publishing House publishes Italian, Penguin Random House handles English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Albin Michel releases the French version on November 25.
A Diary Spanning 32 Years of Spiritual Growth
Francis began keeping the diary on December 20, 1992, when he served as an auxiliary bishop in Buenos Aires. America Magazine notes the final entry was written on August 18, 2024, just nine months before his death. The journal documents his personal reflections through priesthood, his rise to cardinal, and a decade-plus as pope—a rare window into how one of history's most influential religious figures thought and prayed privately.
Cardinal Fernández Curated the Intimate Personal Record
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and a trusted collaborator of Francis, compiled, edited, and annotated the diary. IJR identifies Fernández as the key figure responsible for bringing the pope's private thoughts to public view. His annotations help readers understand the context and significance of Francis's entries, bridging the gap between the pontiff's inner world and his public actions as leader of the global Catholic Church.
A Global Release Across Multiple Languages and Publishers
The book arrives in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian simultaneously—a coordinated global rollout. OC Register reports the English edition comes from Image, an imprint of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing. Most editions release on November 24, 2026, though the French version from Albin Michel appears one day later on November 25. This staggered schedule reflects the complexity of coordinating publication across leading international houses.
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