Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas, offers a challenge to his church. Can he bring about significant change? Should he?

Garry Wills, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, argues provocatively that, in fact, the history of the church throughout is a history of change. In this brilliant and incisive study, Wills describes the deep and serious changes that have taken place in the church or are in the process of occurring. These include the change from Latin, the growth and withering of the ecclesiastical monarchy, the abandonment of biblical literalism, the assertion and nonassertion of infallibility, and the erosion of church patriarchy. In such developments we see the living church adapting itself to the new historical circumstances.

As Wills contends, it is only by examining the history of the church that we can understand Pope Francis's and the church's challenges.

'A lively exercise in church history—history intended to orient us in the here and now. It is addressed not only to Catholics but to the entire church as `the People of God,' . . . and to anyone else—practicing another religion or emphatically not—who is curious to learn how one of our foremost historians and public intellectuals understands his faith.' - The Chicago Tribune

'The church, Wills argues, may act like it never changes. But in the pages of this book, he shows us that it can . . . Wills's historical chops are on vivid display in his new title: he can zip from the church's distortion of the stories of early martyrs to contemporary battles over the use of Latin in liturgy . . . He writes for a wide audience of skeptics, doubters, and questioners.' - The Guardian

'We are two years into a new papal era . . . [Francis] is unsettling the church—in order to set it aright. Garry Wills's new book is a valuable compass for this new terrain.' - The Washington Post

'Wills thinks deeply, and then goes public with his thoughts. Not a mission for the faint of heart, especially when it comes to the Roman Catholic Church. Wills is both a lifelong member of the church, and one of its fiercest critics. His current preoccupation is with Pope Francis . . . Wills has high hopes for the new pope's ability to shine a light into the dark corners of the church, but he's under no illusion that it will be easy . . . This book is not so much about Pope Francis as an informed look at the Catholic Church and the challenges he faces. Whether you are religious or not, it's a subject worth paying attention to.' - The Seattle Times

'Wills ranges widely through the Catholic past . . . [his book] provides a comprehensive . . . and eye-opening account of a pivotal period in recent American social history.' - The Los Angeles Review of Books

'Wills turns his sword on certain beliefs, some of which have been reformed, but whose influence lingers in the dark corners of chanceries . . . Wills speaks not from left field, but from inside the church, a regular Massgoer with a devotion to the rosary.' - National Catholic Reporter

'Wills discusses the reforms that Francis, the world's first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas, has implemented but also places them in a larger context of a church that has undergone far more change over the past 2,000 years than many might realize.' - The Austin American Statesman

About the Author
Garry Wills is a historian and the author of the "New York Times" bestsellers "What Jesus Meant," "Papal Sin," "Why I Am a Catholic," and "Why Priests?," among others. A frequent contributor tothe and other publications, Wills is a Pulitzer Prize winner and a professor emeritus at Northwestern University. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.