In this uplifting and practical book, written in collaboration with
his biographer, Austen Ivereigh, the preeminent spiritual leader
explains why we must--and how we can--make the world safer, fairer, and
healthier for all people now.
In the COVID crisis, the beloved shepherd of over one billion Catholics
saw the cruelty and inequity of our society exposed more vividly than
ever before. He also saw, in the resilience, generosity, and creativity
of so many people, the means to rescue our society, our economy, and our
planet. In direct, powerful prose, Pope Francis urges us not to let the
pain be in vain.
He begins Let Us Dream by exploring what this crisis can teach us
about how to handle upheaval of any kind in our own lives and the world
at large. With unprecedented candor, he reveals how three crises in his
own life changed him dramatically for the better. By its very nature, he
shows, crisis presents us with a choice: we make a grievous error if we
try to return to some pre-crisis state. But if we have the courage to
change, we can emerge from the crisis better than before.
Francis then offers a brilliant, scathing critique of the systems and
ideologies that conspired to produce the current crisis, from a global
economy obsessed with profit and heedless of the people and environment
it harms, to politicians who foment their people's fear and use it to
increase their own power at their people's expense. He reminds us that
Christians' first duty is to serve others, especially the poor and the
marginalized, just as Jesus did.
Finally, the Pope offers an inspiring and actionable blueprint for
building a better world for all humanity by putting the poor and the
planet at the heart of new thinking. For this plan, he draws not only on
sacred sources, but on the latest findings from renowned scientists,
economists, activists, and other thinkers. Yet rather than simply offer
prescriptions, he shows how ordinary people acting together despite
their differences can discover unforeseen possibilities.
Along the way, he offers dozens of wise and surprising observations on
the value of unconventional thinking, on why we must dramatically
increase women's leadership in the Church and throughout society, on
what he learned while scouring the streets of Buenos Aires with
garbage-pickers, and much more.
Let Us Dream is an epiphany, a call to arms, and a pleasure to read.
It is Pope Francis at his most personal, profound and passionate. With
this book and with open hearts, we can change the world.
