The election of Pope Francis last March has seen an unprecedented demand for titles about the new pope in Veritas’ eleven stores in Ireland. 

 

Veritas Director, Maura Hyland, said on Thursday that the election of the Argentinean pope had been a major event for its customers.

 

“People are very interested in the ministry and background of the Holy Father, in what he is saying and doing and particularly how Pope Francis is influenced by his Jesuit background,” she said. 

 

Despite the fact that most of what Pope Francis has said is available on Twitter and other social media outlets, as well as extensively reported by print and broadcast media outlets, according to Maura Hyland, customers across the country are continuing to buy books about the Pontiff.  

 

“There has been a marked increase in interest in the papacy in 2013,” she said. 

 

Some of the most popular titles this year have been Pope Francis: What can we expect from a Jesuit Pope? and Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith), the Encyclical which was published at the end of June.  

 

Based on customer demand, Veritas decided to publish a book containing a collection of Pope Francis’ words to date, titled ‘Pope Francis: Words of Mercy and Joy,’

 

 The religious publisher is also reporting good sales of Evangelii Gaudium, which was published on 24 November last, and challenges every member of the Church to ask what it means to be a follower of Christ and calls everyone to preach the good news in today’s world.

 

 Details on these and other titles relating to Pope Francis: www.veritas.ie