Who is Leo XIV? What message will he bring to the world? Will he be able to overcome the crises facing the Church? These and other questions are answered by “God Loves Us” (LibrosLibres), the first book published on the new pope.

The volume, which includes in its title the first words spoken at the announcement of the white “fumata” (smoke) in the Vatican, offers previously unpublished details of Robert Francis Prevost‘s biography, presents some of his most heartfelt themes, and exposes the most important challenges he will face during his pontificate.

The expectation generated by the book is understandable, given that until recently, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was very little known beyond Vatican expert circles. And yet, his appointment is historic: we are witnessing the first American pope and the first Augustinian pope, and his mother was of Spanish origin.

His election comes after the Catholic Church, in a time of polarization, has had to confront internal divisions, which now weigh heavily on the new pontiff. For this reason, the book presents the first comprehensive study on the state of the Church, its dangers, its great challenges, and its signs of hope.

“The election of Robert Prevost was a surprise even for experts in Vatican affairs. The most surprising thing is that it was a very quick election and, as several cardinals have testified, the result of an overwhelming majority. This book explains why this man has been able to generate such high expectations,” explains the book’s author, Jesús Colina, a journalist and international reference in Vatican affairs for 34 years.

This is a publishing phenomenon, as the book is appearing simultaneously in Spain (LibrosLibres), the United States (Our Sunday Visitor), and Slovenia (Družina), while in six other countries, publication preparations are being accelerated, further proof of the enormous interest in the new pope.

Alex Rosal, director of LibrosLibres, acknowledges that “this is an unprecedented project, as it not only presents the profile of the new pontiff in record time, but also offers a unique vision of contemporary Christianity, based on statistical data that had not been published until now and that allow for an objective analysis, avoiding conjecture.”

“Before the conclave, many predicted a college of cardinals riddled with division and without attractive proposals. The conclave surprised readers with the original figure of a polyglot missionary, who has renewed the spirituality of so many people in the United States, Peru, Cuba, and around the world,” explains the author.

Who is Jesús Colina?

Jesús Colina has been a Vatican correspondent for international media since 1991. Born in Miranda de Ebro in 1968, he was the founder and director of the international news agency Zenit, as well as the content director of the Church’s Information Network in Latin America. He founded and directed the global information network Aleteia.org. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. From 2018 to 2023, he served as director of iMedia, the French-language news agency specializing in Vatican news. He holds an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the Catholic University of America in Washington. He received the “Servant of Peace” award from the Path to Peace Foundation at the United Nations in New York, as well as the “Bravo!” award from the Spanish Episcopal Conference.