The Search for Pope Francis with Mark Shriver
By Grace Hanrahan
On Monday, December 5, the Initiative will host an event with Mark Shriver, author of the book Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis (2016) and president of the organization Save the Children Action Network.
This event, moderated by John Carr, will focus on Shriver’s own return to his faith and the Catholic Church as well as his journey to the slums of Argentina and to Vatican City to discover a window into the true spirit and inspiration of Pope Francis. John Carr, founder and director of the Initiative, will moderate the discussion. The event will be held in Copley Formal Lounge at Georgetown University from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Mark Shriver is a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, serving from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Democratic Party. Shriver comes from a long line of political family members: his mother was Eunice Kennedy, sister of the late John F. Kennedy, and his ancestor David Shriver signed the Maryland Bill of Rights at the Maryland Constitutional Convention in 1776. A product of Jesuit education, Shriver attended Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, and later the College of the Holy Cross. Shriver now serves as the president of Save the Children Action Network, a charity focused on children’s rights in war-torn and Third World countries.
Shriver’s Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis (2016) has been widely hailed as a must-read for any person that has been touched by the Holy Father and his uniquely genuine and charismatic, albeit non-conventional, approach to the papacy. After reading the book, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, said, “All people of good faith, including those whose lives are not guided by religious beliefs, will be inspired and enlightened by the compelling manner in which Pilgrimage brings us closer to the heart and mind of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis. I highly recommend this book; it will make a difference in your life.” His book has received extremely positive reviews in the media including from the New York Times, TIME Magazine, the Catholic Standard, and Vatican Radio, among others. For a preview of the conversation this coming Monday, take a look at some of the more recent coverage of Shriver’s book and interviews with the author:
- Op-ed in the New York Times: “This Merciful Year”
- Book review in TIME Magazine: “6 Childhood Experiences That Defined Pope Francis”
- Book review in the Chicago Tribune: “New books tell the stories of Popes Benedict, Francis"
Grace Hanrahan (C'18) is an undergraduate studying classics and government at Georgetown.