Paul Vallely is a top-flight journalist with a international reputation as a commentator on religion, society and political issues. He was correspondent for The Times in Ethiopia during the famine of 1984-5 for which he was commended as International Reporter of the Year. He was the co-author of Bob Geldof's massive-selling autobiography, Is That It? and was later involved in the organisation of Live 8. In 2004 he was seconded to the Commission for Africa set up by the British prime minister, Tony Blair where he worked on the Commission's report Our Common Interest (later published by Penguin). He is the editor of The New Politics: Catholic Social Teaching for the 21st century and has advised the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. He was created a CMG 'for services to journalism and to the developing world' in 2006.
An exhaustive look at the newest pope. In a revised and expanded edition of Pope Francis: Untying the Knots (2013), Paul Vallely delves deeper into the first two years of the Francis papacy, providing a meaty and useful guide to understanding the pontiff. In the early chapters, the author discusses Francis's life in Argentina, including his highly controversial years as head of the Jesuit order in the region. The author also examines the pope's stances on women, homosexuals, divorced people, and other faiths. Discovering a pope with a controversial past and a revolutionary style of leadership in the present, Vallely provides a highly worthwhile resource for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Kirkus Reviews Updated from a fast-tracked 2013 instant bio, this first-rate remix on the life of Pope Francis includes nine new and substantive chapters ... Vallely provides a superb guide into one of the most pivotal personalities of the 21st century. Publisher's Weekly US The stand-out biography of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The Tablet