Pope Francis’ response to the synod represents a pivotal moment in his papacy. It has captivated some, disappointed others, and frustrated many. But for one of his biographers his purpose is clear: to guide the Church on the path of inculturation, towards becoming a Church of the Amazon.

While the world was waiting with bated breath for a historic decision on whether to ordain married men in Amazonia, Pope Francis was busy going in a very different direction.

One of the many ironies of the recent debacle over the role of the pope emeritus is that Benedict resigned precisely to avoid such indignities. Having lived through the chaos of St John Paul II’s final, infirm years—the runaway Curia, the corruption, the jostling—Benedict planned a retirement that was limelight-free, contemplative, and supportive of his successor. Yet it hasn’t turned out that way.

It was a 45-minute private meeting with Pope Francis in the Casa Santa Marta in June 2018 that brought home to a British writer and journalist that the conversion of heart to which the Pope is calling the Church is rooted in very personal experiences of misjudgement and humiliation.

Francis may not pray in tongues, writes Austen Ivereigh, but no pope has ever identified as closely with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, nor been so keen to move it front and center of the church.

Pope Francis refused to answer reporters’ questions about a letter released on Sunday by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, instead urging reporters to draw their own conclusions about the former papal nuncio’s accusations.

Last month, Pope Francis wrote to the bishops of Chile to say sorry for his initial response to the clerical abuse crisis in the country. The pope’s apology and his insistence on the need for renewal in the Church are informed by texts that he has been drawing on for thirty years, says Austen Ivereigh.