LINCOLN — Mo Guernon, a lifelong Rhode Islander and resident of Lincoln, is the author of a new highly acclaimed biography. “Love Is a Journey: The Inspiring Life and Legacy of Pope John Paul I,” is the story of Albino Luciani, lovingly known around the world as the “Smiling Pope” whose pontificate lasted only 33 days in 1978.
Guernon dedicated years to archival research and conducted interviews with the pope’s nieces, personal secretaries, and acquaintances. The result is previously unpublished information about John Paul’s life and death.
The author escorts readers behind the scenes in the papal apartments and inside the secret conclave that elected Luciani. Guernon also debunks major conspiracy theories about the passing of the pope.
Above all, Guernon captures the pope’s mysterious ability to engender unprecedented affection and admiration among people of all faiths, and nonbelievers too, with his inimitable humility.
Pope John Paul I’s impact on the world during his brief pontificate was simultaneously profound and perplexing.
In little more than a month, he dazzled people while modernizing the papacy and establishing an ambitious agenda for promoting peace and dialogue among all peoples.
The book has already received accolades from notable figures and publications, including Mary Ann Glendon, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican; Booklist, the official review publication of the American Library Association; Loris Serafini, Director of the John Paul I Museum and Archives in Italy; Providence College theology professor James Keating; former Auxiliary Bishop of Providence, Robert C. Evans; and Rev. Silvio De Nard of Belluno, Italy,
(currently pastor of Sacred Heart Church in East Providence) who knew the pope.
“Love Is a Journey: The Inspiring Life and Legacy of Pope John Paul I” is currently available in hard cover and e-book from numerous booksellers including Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Bloomsbury.com.
Guernon is a retired educator, journalist and Rhode Island columnist. He is available to do free presentations about John Paul I.
More information is available on the author’s website, www.MoGuernonBiographer.com.
